RecruitZ (Afterworld #1) by Karice Bolton ~ Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway!

Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the RecruitZ Blog Tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. Click here to follow along with the tour schedule. 

RecruitZ

Afterworld #1

by Karice Bolton

Publication date: December 27th 2013

Genres: New Adult, Post-Apocalyptic

Add: Goodreads | BookLikes

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Synopsis

Scientists are the new rock stars. The infection has been contained for nearly three months, and the world is celebrating. But humans are still dying. Rebekah Taylor has seen it firsthand. Her husband was killed right in front of her by the very creatures that humans were told they no longer had to fear. 

Rebekah is determined to find out who is responsible for the death of her husband and the obvious cover-up. Fueled with revenge, she begins to find answers that lead to one frightening conclusion. The apocalypse might be over, but the battles are just beginning.

I've been excited to read RecruitZ for quite a while - the minute I first heard about it last December as a matter of fact. From the cover alone, I knew Rebekah would be a bad ass character, and while she didn't start out that way, she grew into the role. Right away I liked her and related with her feelings of loss. RecruitZ isn't a typical zombie novel - it's so much more than that with a conspiracy that's as disturbing as it is compelling. 

In a post-apocalyptic world where zombies are supposed to no longer be a threat according to the government, Rebekah helplessly watches zombies tear her husband apart and believes his death was planned and covered up. Her friends don't believe her when she tells them what she saw, and I don't think they wanted to either. 

Not only is she reeling from her husband's violent death, but she also must be careful not to reveal too much to the wrong person. She could be turned in and never heard from again, but she can't rest until she knows the truth and sets out to search for it. On the surface is denial and a glowing positivism about life after the outbreak while underneath, the dark and seedy side of humanity thrives. It's this dark, seedy side that Rebekah must explore to find out what's really going on and to avenge her husband's death. 

RecruitZ is full of twists and turns I never expected, and I love it when a book keeps me in suspense. Rebekah is a character I love because she's strong yet also has her vulnerable side. She decides to take her grief and do something proactive with it, and I admire that about her. I'm looking forward to what comes her way in the next book.    

My Rating:

About the Author

Karice Bolton lives in the Pacific Northwest and is a writer of Young Adult and New Adult books. She loves to read anything and everything. She also enjoys baking, skiing, and spending time with her wonderful husband and two English bulldogs.

Books currently available:

*Beyond Love Series 

• Beyond Control (#1)
• Beyond Doubt (#2)
• Beyond Reason (#3) - Feb 28th

*Afterworld Series

• RecruitZ (#1)

*The Witch Avenue Series

• Lonely Souls (#1)
• Altered Souls (#2)
• Released Souls (#3)
• Shattered Souls (#4)

*The Watchers Trilogy

• Awakening (#1)
• Legions (#2)
• Cataclysm (#3)
• Taken Novella (Watchers Prequel)

*The Camp

Karice would love if you stopped by her blog or FB page to find out the latest news on giveaways and upcoming releases, or you can just send her an email. She loves hearing from her readers and responds as soon as she can. 

Author Links

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter 

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Blog Tour organized by:

Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway ~ World of Ash by Shauna Granger

Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the World of Ash Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. Click here to follow along with the full blog tour schedule! :D

Title: World of Ash

Author: Shauna Granger

Release date: December 2nd 2013

Genre: New Adult, Post-apocalyptic  

Source: Review Copy

Add to Goodreads

~ Synopsis ~

There are two inherent truths in the world: life as we know it is over, and monsters are real. 

The Pestas came in the night, spreading their pox, a deadly plague that decimated the population. Kat, one of the unlucky few who survived, is determined to get to her last living relative and find shelter from the pox that continues to devastate the world. When it mutates and becomes airborne, Kat is desperate to avoid people because staying alone might be her only chance to stay alive.

That is, until she meets Dylan. Dylan, with his easy smile and dark, curly hair, has nowhere to go and no one to live for. He convinces Kat there can be safety in numbers, that they can watch out for each other. So the unlikely couple set off together through the barren wasteland to find a new life - if they can survive the roaming Pestas, bands of wild, gun-toting children, and piles of burning, pox-ridden bodies.   

~ My Thoughts ~ 

My Rating: 5 / 5 

My first reaction is wow! World of Ash is my first book by Shauna Granger, and it definitely won't be my last. Her writing is fantastic, and the world she built is so realistic it's scary. The idea of the Pestas - some sort of monsters who infected and caused the plague that's wiped out most of the population - really freaked me out. The plague is terrifying as it is without monsters spreading it around. It was a nice break from zombies, which if you hear me saying that, then you know this book has to be good. 

I thought it was different how Kat was living a happy and privileged life before the apocalypse - many times the main character in a post-apocalyptic world possessed skills that would enable her/him to face the hell that has become the world. But in Kat's case, she was living a cushy life before and has no delusions that she didn't have any idea how to survive in the beginning. That's what makes her character so impressive; she's struggled and fought to survive, learning along the way.

If I imagined what the world would be like after an apocalypse, this is the kind of world I think it would be. In World of Ash, the government takes action in ways that are so awful, I could feel Kat's emotions coming through the pages. Kat feared other human beings who were healthy as much as she did the plague and the Pestas. 

Her mother was wise in warning her before she left that she wouldn't be able to trust other people. She finds an exception in Dylan, and I was happy she had companionship and help. I loved Dylan and Kat's relationship - they were partners in this new world, and each carried his/her own weight. They saved each other in so many ways. He's just the kind of guy you'd be lucky to have around in an apocalypse. He was naive at first, thinking the government would help healthy people, but Kat helped him see it's everyone for him or herself.  

I loved World of Ash from it's front cover all the way through to the back cover. Kat and Dylan are two of my new favorite characters. Please tell me there's going to be a second book - I can't help wanting to find out what happens next! 

~ Purchase Links ~

Amazon | Smashwords | B&N | Kobo

~ About the Author ~ 

Like so many other writers, Shauna grew up as an avid reader, but it was in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer. Five years ago, Shauna started work on her Elemental Series. She released the first installment, Earth, on May 1, 2011 and has since released four sequels, with the series coming to an end with Spirit. She is currently hard at work on a new Urban Fantasy series, starring a spunky witch with a smush-faced cat named Artemis. 

~ Social Links ~ 

Blog | Goodreads | Twitter 

~ Giveaway ~

2 - Signed paperbacks of World of Ash (US Only)

2 - eBooks of World of Ash (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour hosted by:

YA Bound Book Tours