Fierce Reads Blog Tour: Q&A & Reviews - Firewalker, Tonight the Streets Are Ours, Six of Crows and First & Then

Hi everyone and welcome to my stop on the Fierce Reads Blog Tour! Big thanks to Raincoast Books and Fierce Reads for organizing this and for the chance to ask the authors one question. I also had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Tonight the Streets Are Ours and First & Then so please stick around for those after the Q&A!

Q: Which character in your current book would you say you can most identify with? Why?

Josephine Angelini: Hmmm…tough one because when I’ve been working on a series for a few years I feel close to all of my characters. I can say that I have the most sympathy for Lillian, though.



Leigh Bardugo: Probably Nina. She's spent her whole life with people telling her she's too much—too big, too loud, too enthusiastic about things. And she doesn't care. I didn't have Nina's confidence when I was seventeen, but I definitely care a lot less about what people think of me now.



Emma Mills: I identify with my protagonist Devon in some ways—but we are different in many ways as well! I started writing FIRST & THEN when I was in high school and applying for college, like Devon is. So I definitely relate to some of her feelings about that process. But Devon is kind of directionless and apathetic about school and her future, whereas I was very invested in school and grades and achievement—a bit more like Rachel Woodson’s character!

Unfortunately due to time constraint Leila Sales couldn't answer my question but still thank you to all the authors! Below are some information on their fabulous new books and don't forget to check out my reviews ;) Thank you all for stopping by!!

Firewalker

(The Worldwalker Trilogy #2)
by Josephine Angelini

September 1, 2015

352 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Worlds divide, magic slays, and love lies in the second book of Josephine Angelini’s The Worldwalker Trilogy.

"You think I’m a monster, but my choices, as ruthless as they seem, are justified."

Lily is back in her own universe, and she's ready to start a new life with Rowan by her side. True, she almost died in the Pyre that fueled their escape from New Salem, and must hide her magic for the safety of everyone she cares about, but compared to fighting the Woven, the monstrous creatures inhabiting the alternate Salem, life is looking pretty good.

Unfortunately, Lillian, ruthless ruler of the 13 Cities, is not willing to let Lily go that easily. If she can’t persuade Lily to return to her world, she will force her to come back by doing away with the ones she loves.

Picking up right where Trial By Fire left off, Firewalker is another sexy, fast-paced, heartbreaking thrill ride from internationally bestselling author Josephine Angelini!

About the Author:
Josephine Angelini is the internationally bestselling author of Trial by Fire and the Starcrossed series. She is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. Originally from Massachusetts, Josie now lives in Los Angeles with her screenwriter husband, her daughter, Pia Marie, and three shelter cats. You can visit her on Facebook, her website josephineangelini.com, or follow her on Twitter @josieangelini.

Tonight the Streets Are Ours

by Leila Sales

September 15, 2015

342 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
From the author of This Song Will Save Your Life comes a funny and relatable book about the hazards of falling for a person you haven't met yet.

Seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley is recklessly loyal. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But she's tired of being loyal to people who don't appreciate her—including her needy best friend and her absent mom.

Arden finds comfort in a blog she stumbles upon called "Tonight the Streets Are Ours," the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter. When Peter is dumped by the girlfriend he blogs about, Arden decides to take a road trip to see him.

During one crazy night out in NYC filled with parties, dancing, and music—the type of night when anything can happen, and nearly everything does—Arden discovers that Peter isn't exactly who she thought he was. And maybe she isn't exactly who she thought she was, either.

 

Review

Leila Sales has a way with words that just makes you want to gobble up every word she puts on the page. This was the case with Tonight the Streets Are Ours. The story itself was a slow one but I found myself really caring for the characters and wanting to see them to the right direction.

This is a love story, sort of. It's a story about a girl who's so full of love she starts to wonder why people don't reciprocate her feelings. Arden is always there for her family, for her boyfriend and most of all for her best friend. The recklessly loyal title couldn't have been more accurate for her but only because she tries hard to mold herself into it. Taking on other people's problems when she should've let them learn their own lesson. Even if I did disapproved of the way she kept everything under the surface and bottled up inside her, she's one emotionally tough girl. When she eventually cracks, her impulse takes her on a road trip to see the one person she thought needed her. The trip turns out bountiful in that she finds answers and in the most unlikely places too.

I expected Peter to have a bit more of a physical presence but it didn't bother me when he made a later appearance. To be honest, he was a depressing person to get to know. "I hate this is how life has to be. The progressive loss of everyone who matters to you." (p.58). He's competent at voicing all his thoughts yet his story was totally not what it seemed. I felt like he was a fraud but I can also sympathize with why he embellished things. I wish he was more mature.

There was a plot twist near the end that changed my perspective on things. I wasn't prepared for it and it probably shouldn't have affected me so strongly but it did. It made so much sense and just shone a whole new angle onto Tonight the Streets Are Ours (Peter's real home life). There's always two sides to every story so don't be quick to judge or dismiss others. Like the reason behind Arden's mother leaving. I'm very glad she was able to stand in her mother's shoes and see from her point of view.

In Tonight the Streets Are Ours we see every cause guarantees an effect (good or bad). Your actions affect others whether you mean for it to or not. It's important to always be conscious of your choices and actions as these characters have come to show me.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way. All quotes were taken from the copy I received.
 

About the Author:
Leila Sales (www.leilasales.com) is the author of the novels This Song Will Save Your Life, Mostly Good Girls, and Past Perfect. This Song Will Save Your Life garnered two starred reviews, was included on the American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults list, was one of Bank Street College of Education's Best Books of the Year, and was listed as one of the Best YA Books of 2013 by Buzzfeed.com. It has been published in ten foreign countries, and it has been optioned for stage and film development.

Leila grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Chicago. When she's not writing, she spends her time thinking about sleeping, kittens, chocolate, and how to get more of all of them. Leila lives in Brooklyn, New York, and works in children's book publishing. Follow her @LeilaSalesBooks.

 

Six of Crows

(Six of Crows #1)
by Leigh Bardugo

September 29, 2015

480 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

About the Author:

Leigh Bardugo is the author of the New York Times-bestselling series The Grisha Trilogy. She was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from Yale University, and has worked in advertising, journalism, and most recently makeup and special effects. These days, she lives and writes in Hollywood, where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band. Find Liegh at leighbardugo.com / grishatrilogy.com.
 

 

First & Then

by Emma Mills

October 13, 2015

272 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

Review
 

First & Then was incredibly relatable. Before I say more, I have a confession to make: I have never read a Jane Austen novel. There I said it. *runs away* Okay but I have seen the movie so I do see the parallel between the stories and mainly the characters.

Devon's at the stage in life where everything's about to change. She's graduating high school but she has no clue exactly what she wants to do. We've all been there. I was just as lost as she was when I was in high school. I could relate so much to what Devon was feeling. "I felt like I had never done anything. I had never suffered. I had never triumphed. I was a middle-class kid from the burbs who had managed to be rather unspectacular for the last seventeen years. A triumph over mediocrity - that was what I needed." (ARC, p.7). I love that she looked to Jane Austen as a guide to life. I love her protective instincts when it came to Foster. She may claim disinterest in her cousin but she can't hide the fact that she does care about him. It took Devon some time to navigate through and discover her way but every struggle was worth its weight. 

Ezra is my first encounter of a talented, good-looking guy who isn't full of himself. He's downright awkward when it comes to being social. It was adorable to witness his attempts to show more emotions. I applaud him for mustering up the courage to write a certain swoony confession. You won't be able to help but fall in love with his modesty. I was pleased to see him open up and share personal moments with Devon. "Sometimes it feels like we're still the ones in the pictures, and everything that happened after happened to other people. And then sometimes we're the other people, and the strangers are in the frame." (ARC, p.258). Sometimes I have this thought too.

Foster is a good kid with a big heart. I admired his tenacity. Despite not growing up under the most loving conditions, he turned out great. Everything about him was honest. He is a brother anyone would be lucky to have. The only person I didn't care much about was Cas. He was a decent best friend but just all around average.

With a thought-provoking plot, relatable characters, heartfelt relationships and cute swoons, I cannot recommend this book enough! First & Then is a story everyone will enjoy.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way. All quotes were taken from the Advance Reading Copy I received.

About the Author:

Emma Mills is a debut author better known to her subscribers as vlogger Elmify. She is also co-creator and co-host of the "life skills" channel How to Adult. youtube.com/user/elmify.


Don't forget to follow along with the tour throughout the week! Simply click on the image below to see the other blog stops :) The hastag #FierceReadsTakesTO will also be used so please, join in on the fun!

And you can meet the authors in person if you're in Toronto on October 17! Visit the Fierce Reads Event page for more information.