So, as I was typing this one at midnight, or rather an hour thereafter, and I figured I'd sample the new Taylor Swift album everyone is buzzing about, with the appropriately named title...Midnights. I can't say that I needed to skip through every song, but I also wasn't lingering. It's not that I haven't liked some of her past work, quite a few actually, but sometimes, even with the most popular of things, it's just not for everyone. Changing gears a smidge, we're taking a look today at a title on tour with Rachel's Random Resources. It's Fiction with a healthy dose of the Paranormal as we enter a version of our future where boundaries have fallen apart, and states are taking it upon themselves to rule their own land to the benefit or detriment of the people therein. Ladies and gents, let's look between the epages of today's featured title...
Altered Helix
by
Stephanie Hansen
About the book...
I didn't want to take the traditional path. First, I wasn't ready for college. Second, I was going to live with my best friend, Tiff, and work at the Haunted House. Third, did I mention the hot guy Josh that works there too?
The most exciting thing about Austria's new job, at a local haunted house, was the fact that the toughest looking people screamed the loudest. But when she meets the boy without a home, Josh, Austria's life takes intriguing and eventful turns. Up until now, Josh has managed to hang with his Street crowd, but they're in danger, and so is Austria, the girl Josh recently fell for. The group finds themselves joining forces with previously considered enemies who also now find themselves in danger.
Deeply compassionate and full of twists, Altered Helix captures the struggle of polarized people that must work together for the greater good.
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I was curious about this one when I started. I wanted to see how working in a haunted house was going to be, were the scares inevitable or staged, and how much was simply for show. I was interested in seeing just what senses Austria had, and how they would help or hinder her in her new job. It's not unusual for kids to take a gap year when they are undecided or considering a path less traveled, so I got her feelings there, and I appreciated her desire to work with her friend, as well as her willingness to meet new people. The bit with her strong connection to her father that had since passed away gave us something to ponder. However, that's where the connection stopped for me. It stepped back from the paranormal, and into the realm of oddity, danger, and mayhem. Darker topics that aren't fictitious are dealt with in scary ways, from human trafficking to organ harvesting, homelessness to those that have in excess, bullying to kidnapping, and so on. While the story presented one thing, I was completely thrown in another direction, that I quite honestly was not prepared for.
It's not that it wasn't good, I was just looking at a potentially spooky read, and what I got was more wild and crazy than I knew what to do with. With plot holes here and there, and misdirection in the story itself, I never knew if I was coming or going. The thing about that is that although it wasn't my cup of tea, it doesn't mean that it won't be just what the doctor ordered for you...and if you've picked it up already, I'd love to hear your comments! If not, give it a chance, and see just where the pages take you...
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About the author...
Stephanie Hansen is a PenCraft and Global Book Award Winning Author. Her debut novella series, Altered Helix, released in 2020. It hit the #1 New Release, #1 Best Seller, and other top 100 lists on Amazon. It is now being adapted to an animated story for Tales. Her debut novel, Replaced Parts, released in 2021 through Fire & Ice YA and Tantor Audio. It has been in a Forbes article, hit Amazon bestseller lists, and made the Apple young adult coming soon bestsellers list. The second book in the Transformed Nexus series, Omitted Pieces, released in 2022. Her next novella, Ghostly Howls, releases 2/7/23. She is a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community so she tries to incorporate that into her fiction. https://www.authorstephaniehansen.com/
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~~~ GIVEAWAY ~~~
YOUR CHANCE TO WIN...
$10 Amazon Gift Card (Open to US Only)
*Terms and Conditions –US entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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Special thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you and the ecopy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this promotion, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today and be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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