Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the Across the Wire Blog Tour hosted by Xpresso Reads. Click here for the full blog tour schedule.
Across the Wire
by Stella Telleria
Publication date: November 4th 2013
Genre: Adult, Science Fiction
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords
Synopsis
When Mia Mitchell, a hardcore but lonely former Marine, steps into an alley to pull some thugs off an unlucky foreigner, she walks into a fight she expects. What she doesn't see coming is the foreigner making her a job offer any sane person would refuse. So, she takes it. She thinks she's headed for some third-world country; instead she's mysteriously transported to an Earth-like parallel world. That's a mad left-hook.
Mia discovers a matriarchal dystopia where freedom doesn't exist and fighting for it means execution. Lethal force bends all to the law; women fear for their families and unwed men suffer slavery. Mia's job is to train an underground syndicate of male freedom-fighters for a violent revolution. However, the guys don't want a pair of X chromosomes showing them the way.
Eben, an escaped slave, is encouraged by Mia to become a leader among the men. But when he turns his quiet determination on her, it spells F.U.B.A.R. for cynical Mia. Their unexpected connection threatens more than her exit strategy; it threatens the power struggle festering within the syndicate.
Haunted by nightmares and post-traumatic stress, unsure who to trust or how to get home, Mia struggles to stay alive as she realizes all is not what it seems.
Ever think if women ruled the world it would be one big "Kumbaya?" Across the Wire gives a nightmarish look into one version of what that world could look like while also challenging the concepts of freedom and safety and what they really mean. I had a difficult time getting into the story at first - the beginning was a little slow for me - but once I began to see for myself what society was like in this parallel world, everything came alive vividly.
Mia, a former Marine, rescues a man being beaten in an alley. He is grateful and asks for her help. She thinks she's going to a third world country but instead finds herself in a parallel world where women rule over men as their slaves. She is asked to help train a group of men in self defense so they can begin to liberate men from slavery.
Mia was difficult for me to get to know. She has PTSD from serving in the military during war, which was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to read this book, but she was so closed off I didn't find out much about what she was like before the war. If I could have found out more about her, I think I would have been able to relate to her more.
Once Eben, one of the slaves toiling away in a mine, begins telling the story from his point-of-view, I saw a different side of Mia and was pulled into the story more fully. I got to know Eben and felt for him and his situation. There was something about Eben that brought out a softer side in Mia, and I hoped for Mia to find some peace and healing.
Across the Wire brought up a lot of questions about freedom and safety that had me thinking about those concepts in a new and different way. I love it when a book can do that for me, and these questions make me want to know what's going to happen next.
My Rating:
About the Author
All my life I've dreamed of stories or have had my nose buried in one. I live in Edmonton, Canada with my husband and my weird sense of humor. Across the Wire is my first novel.
I love old war movies, dystopian fiction, and any story with action, a good plot, and characters I'd get into a fight at the pub for. Not that I'm a brawler or anything. Unless you think that out-of-print book or vintange piece at the thrift shop is going home with you instead of me. Then, my friend, the gloves are off.
Some say if you have your nose buried in a book, you're missing out on life. I say my nose is buried in a book because one life is not enough.
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This sounds really interesting. A unique idea. :)
ReplyDeleteIt makes you think beyond the story of the book, and I love it when a book can do that. Thanks for visiting, Rachel! :)
DeleteYou have a great theme for A to Z blogger and you work so hard with your reviews. May be next year?
ReplyDeleteI decided not to do the A to Z challenge this year. *hides face* But I want to visit those who are participating - it was too much for me to try to take on. Thank you, Munir, your kind words mean a lot. I do work hard on reviews knowing how important they are. :)
DeleteGreat review, Jennifer! This sounds like a very well written and described world. I love it when it comes alive in front of your eyes. It sounds thought provoking too! Glad you liked it! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Giselle! Thanks for your shout out on Twitter, too! I love it when a book makes me think beyond the story. :)
DeleteThank you so much for being a part of the book tour. And yes, there is no 'Kumbaya' happening here. LOL! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Stella, thanks for having me. Nope, definitely no Kumbaya, lol!! :)
DeleteI grew up watching too many shows where girls kick butt, so I can't imagine a female-run society being all Kumbaya. Plus I took a feminism class in college (for 1 day). Definitely not kumkaya. I like the sound of a female soldier and her demons in this bizarro world and then Ebon who brings out her softer side. Great review, Jennifer!!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it what men think society would be like if women were running the show? I think that's what they think anyway, lol. The fact that Mia is a soldier drew me to read this book. I wanted to read about a female character who has been in the military, and this sounded intriguing to me. :) Thank you, Robyn! :)
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