Blog Tour: Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon- Review, Excerpt and Giveaway

Tour Hosted by Itching for Books: Schedule

Title: Strangelets

Author: Michelle Gagnon
Publisher:  Soho Teen
Publishing Date:  April 9th 2013

Pages: 280
Genre:  YA Sci-Fi Thriller

Series: Stand Alone
Source: Kindle edition provided by Itching For Books

  

17-year-old Sophie lies on her deathbed in California, awaiting the inevitable loss of her battle with cancer…
17-year-old Declan stares down two armed thugs in a back alley in Galway, Ireland…
17-year-old Anat attempts to traverse a booby-trapped tunnel between Israel and Egypt…

All three strangers should have died at the exact same moment, thousands of miles apart. Instead, they awaken together in an abandoned hospital—only to discover that they’re not alone. Three other teens from different places on the globe are trapped with them. Somebody or something seems to be pulling the strings. With their individual clocks ticking, they must band together if they’re to have any hope of surviving.

Soon they discover that they've been trapped in a future that isn't of their making: a deadly, desolate world at once entirely familiar and utterly strange. Each teen harbors a secret, but only one holds the key that could get them home. As the truth comes to light through the eyes of Sophie, Declan, and Anat, the reader is taken on a dark and unforgettable journey into the hearts of teens who must decide what to do with a second chance at life.....

I read Don't Turn Around a while back and loved it! I couldn't wait to dive into another novel by this author. I love thrillers and this one sounded pretty creepy and it was. The book was pretty creepy and thrilling through out the book. One of the main draws to this book while reading, I had no idea what was going on for mot of the book. I kept turning the pages waiting for the secrets to be revealed and that kept me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed reading this book.

Three teenagers are heading towards what seems to be their last breath. The last thing they remember is what they were doing and the danger they were in and then BAM they are in a hospital and no one is around. Yes talk about a panic attack. Eventually they meet similar teens who have also found themselves in the same predicament and begin a hunt to find others and to search out the truth. What they find is a desolate town, a pretty scary journal, and some strange creatures lurking in the forest. The further they search, the deeper they find themselves and they must find a way to fix it.

This book was pretty original for me. I liked that! The best way to describe it for me is the Twilight Zone meets Lost meets Jurassic Park. It was pretty darn crazy at times. The book was fast paced throughout most of the story, there were a few slow moments and I did have a hard time feeling it at the very beginning. This happens quite often for me when the book is built on the unknown.. The story was definitely worth the waiting to figure out what was going on. I thought the way it all played out was really cool.

The story had quite a few characters to follow and this was the hardest part for me. The POV changed rapidly at times and I had to get used to the switches before I could find my bearings in the story. I liked the multiple POVs, the transisitions were just a little difficult at first. I find this in many books that use multiple POV, and I think it must be a hard thing to get just right.

All the characters were pretty cool, but because of the rapid POV changes, I had a bit of hard time connecting to most of them. My favorite was Delcan. He somewhat adopted leadership and took on the safety of others, espeically Sophie. He seemed to be a very loyal and caring person to those that were in his inner circle, but still had a bit of bad boy vibe.

I liked Sophie and Anat well enough, some things about their personalities didn't jive well with me but they were a great mix for the story. Sophie just didn't stand out much for me, she seemed too timid for my style. Anat was very confident in herself and a bit too much on the judgement side for me. I wasn't much on these two characters but they worked well for the story and I could appreciate what they brought to the story.

My favorite part by far of my read was uncovering the secrets and the thrills of not know what was lurking around the corner. The thrill and creep factor was high for me for sure.

It was a good read, I went in looking for a creepy ride and that is what I got. If you like the Twilight Zone-Lost-Jurassic Park vibe... you should check out this book.

From Chapter Three: 

Whatever Declan had expected to find on the other side of the doors, it definitely hadn't been this . Two girls stood there, looking every bit as startled as he felt: a swarthy one who was tall and fierce-looking, dressed head-to-toe in black, and a small Asian girl in rummage-store clothing. Of course, he was part of a fairly odd bunch, too.

They all stared at each other for a moment.

"Hallo," he said to break the silence. "Is this the way out, then?"
The taller girl stepped forward, crossing the threshold. Stunning, Declan thought, but scary, Her demeanor reminded him of a rhino debating whether or not to charge. As she advanced with a murderous look in her eye, the boys stepped back in unison.
"No" the Japanese girls said quietly. "We thought this was the way."
The taller girl threw her a sharp look. "quiet, Yosh."
"But-"
"I said quiet!" She turned back to them, her eyes narrowing. "We want to leave."
"Shocking that," Declan laughed. "Something we have in common, then." He stepped past her and extended a hand to the Japanese girl. "Pleases to make your acquaintance. Declan Murphy."
Yosh shook hands, then turned to the other two boys. Zain's mouth opened and closed several times.
"And this is Zain."
"Enough!" the tall girl growled. "How do we get out?"
And here's the rest of the asylum, Declan thought. Out loud he said, "We were hoping you could tell us. Not this way, I'm guessing?"

Michelle Gagnon is a former modern dancer, bartender, dog walker, model, personal trainer, and Russian supper club performer. Her bestselling adult thrillers THE TUNNELS, BONEYARD, THE GATEKEEPER, and KIDNAP & RANSOM have been published in North America, France, Denmark, Spain, Argentina, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Australia. BONEYARD was a finalist for a 2009 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.


www.michellegagnon.com | twitter.com/Michelle_Gagnon

a Rafflecopter giveaway