The Survivors by Amanda Havard

The Survivors by Amanda Havard

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: In 1692, when witch trials gripped the community of Salem, Massachusetts, twenty-six children were accused as witches, exiled, and left for dead. Fourteen of them survived.

The Survivors is the first installment of the tantalizing tales of the fourteen ill-fated Survivors and their descendants, who have been content in hiding for over three centuries. Isolated on a Montana mountainside, only Sadie, the rogue daughter, dares to abandon the family's sacred hiding place. But no matter how far Sadie runs, something always pulls her back.

On a muggy summer night in Tennessee, she witnesses a shocking scene that will change her life forever. It is the first in a sequence of events that will drag her from the human world she's sought to belong to for over a century and send her back to her Puritanical family and into an uncertain future filled with cunning witches, mysterious nosferatu shape-shifters, dangerous eretica and vieczy vampires, millennia-old mythology, and the search for her own mortality. After all...

HOW DO YOU KILL A SURVIVOR?

The Survivors will steal your heart and invade your mind. Fall into the pages of Sadie's life, a world so frighteningly similar to your own, you'll find yourself wanting to go to the Montana mountains to find the Survivors for yourself.

And it is only the beginning.

Review: Never has a book taken me by surprise SO much. I really hadn't expected The Survivors to be anything out of the ordinary, but, whoa, it was amazing! The whole book in general is so ridiculously awesome that I still cannot fathom the fact that it's over. I really regret underestimating the degree of its appeal.

With very developed characters and an intricate plot line, The Survivors keeps readers hooked on from page 1. You're probably going to hear this sentence a lot in other reviews of this book, but it's very true--the protagonist is so relatable. Which brings me to the conclusion that this book is not just a book, it's almost having a conversation with Sadie herself and having her tell you every little detail going on in her life. And even if she is different from us, we're going to be able to draw the similarities out. Every emotion that Sadie will feel--confliction, anticipation, love, fear? (LOVE, repeated again just for emphasis, cuz ya now, Sadie steals many hearts in this book) You're going to feel it too. (And yes, you will yell at her. I did. Very often...No, I am not weird! O_O'')

The language Havard uses is very smart and natural that you actually feel smarter when you read the words from the page. And then there was that one scene where I should have KNOWN what was going to happen, but fjsldfjsljj! AHH. I AM STILL IN SHOCK. OHMYGOSH.

I'm not really sure how I feel about the romance aspect of this book. I would have liked to see her relationship(s) develop a bit slower. I do not know if it is the fangirl inside of me, but I just couldn't see why she fell in love with Other Guy. I do not even want to comment on Other Guy.

...But uh, COLE PWNS EVERETT. Every day of the week. Every second of the day. Every inch to the sky!! O_O So if you read this book and you take a liking to Other Guy, I'm afraid we cannot be friends anymore...(not even if you bake me cookies! And yes, I WILL be judging you XD)

On a more serious note, to me, The Survivors really isn't even paranormal. It's unlike any paranormal book I've read--very smart, very fresh, and very addictive, and very still in my mind. But a word to the wise, you won't be able to put this one down once you start (unless you are craaazyyy and not even a good crazy like me...). Read it now if you haven't! I do not know how long I can SURVIVE without the second book in my hand. Watch out, Amanda. *creepy laughter* xD!

And now, let the fangirling begin!

~~A Reviewer's Journey GIF Style~~

The Beginning: *got it out* Okay, let's read...*five seconds later* OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!! *Cole appears* ME:

The Middle: OHMYGOSH! WHAT IS HAPPENING? *is eaten up by Amanda Havard's world of epic proportions*

Mom: Come out for dinner! Me: WHO NEEDS TO EAT? I HAVE THIS INVISIBLE CORN OF DISBELIEF TO CHEW ON!! O_O

WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING SADIE? WHERE'S SWEET, SWEET COLE? Other Guy, you need to find a hole and jump in it and dieeeeee.

O_O OH. MY. GOD. FJSKFJKSLDJF WHAT WHAT WHAT. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE. * FLIPS PAGES BACK AND FORTH* It all makes sense now o_____o

The End: No, it's over. *SOBSOBSOBSOBSOB* HOW COULD YOU, AMANDA HAVARD? I HOW COULD YOU JUST END THE SNEAK PEEK OF BOOK 2 LIKE THIS? sobsobsob.

You all need to read it now!

---

1) I recently conducted a Twitter interview with Sadie herself along with The Book Pixie! To view it, just click this [edit: updated link here for FULL interview]! (BOWL FOREVER!)

2) Have you heard the GORGEOUS song that goes along with this book? It was just released and honestly, it has been on repeat the whole day yesterday. I'll embed it down below...

Less than three, folks. LESS THAN THREE!~

Kim Harrington Interview

WOOOO! Guess what comes out this week? Clarity by Kim Harrington! It has crazy awesome characters, perfect pacing, and above all, it was written by an amazing author.

I had the honor to interview the author a month ago and here is the interview below:

1.) In your mind, why do you think people do not believe in psychics?

I think it’s because certain people need proof before they believe in something fantastical. And…I’m one of those people! I’m not going to say true psychics don’t exist, though. Just that I haven’t met a real one yet. I have visited about six (a couple times in college for fun and then a few for book research) and none of them impressed me. But my mother visited one in Dublin when she was a teenager that she swears was the real deal. So who knows?

2.) What is the one power you would want if you were a psychic?

I wouldn’t want any of the Fern family’s powers. But if I could have any ability, I’d love to be able to manipulate time. Mostly because I’m impatient.

3.) Do you bare any similarities to any of your characters?

I can be sarcastic like Clare. I worry like Starla. Also, Clare’s aversion to seafood? Totally me.

4.) What was the hardest part in writing this novel?

The hardest part was making sure all the pieces of the mystery fit into place and finding the right balance between predictable and completely unforeseeable. I don’t want the villain to be someone from left field that the reader never could have figured out. But I don’t want the solution to be too obvious, either. Somewhere in between. And that’s tough to do.

5.) Best line ever from a book/show/movie? :D

Oh my…there are so many! I’m going to have to go with one from the movie Say Anything. And it’s not, “I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen,” though I do love that line. The one I like more is Lloyd’s response when Diane says, “Nobody thinks it will work, do they?” He says, “You just described every great success story.”

6.) If you could pick one song that represented Clarity, what would it be?

Maybe “Army of Me” by Bjork, which seems totally random, but the song has this swagger and confidence to it. I can imagine Clare walking down the street with her earbuds in, nodding her head to it.

7.) What is the weirdest dream you've ever had?

This is tough because I have weird dreams all the time. The scariest weird dream I had was that I was stuck on a cruise ship when one of those stomach viruses started going around. But then we realized it wasn’t just the stomach flu…it was the zombie virus. So everyone on the cruise ship started turning into zombies and I was running and hiding for what seemed like hours. Horrifying! I also had a funny, weird one where a sinkhole opened up on a Boston street and was swallowing buildings and I was running away from it with Neil Patrick Harris.

8.) How was your day? XD

Fantastic! While writing this interview (in January), I got the news that Publishers Weekly gave Clarity a starred review!

Let's have a chat with Wendy Toliver

Today, we have Wendy Toliver, author of LIFTED. You can find my review of it here. LIFTED comes out today

1. Is writing rom-com novels different from writing books like Lifted?
Yes. There are certain things the ro-coms need, like humor, lots of romance, and the happiest endings possible. Those are the things readers expect and want when they pick up a ro-com. Now, with Lifted, I had more freedom because it didn't need to fit into a certain "type" of book. It does have funny parts, romance, and a somewhat happy ending, but that's because it's a) part of my voice and b) what I thought worked well for the story. Also, because I'd never written a so called "edgy" novel, it was a huge and exciting challenge for me. I hope I succeeded!


2. What is your favorite citrus fruit?
Limes. Love them in my Diet Coke, water, and Mexican beer! :)

3. How do you come up with character names? (I like Poppy!)

Aw, thank you! I actually put a LOT of thought into my characters' names. Mainly because when you write a book, you have to look at the same names over and over so you better like them. Poppy is a name I chose because of the whole idea of the book. Do you remember the poppy fields in The Wizard of Oz? Poppies were dangerous because Dorothy and her friends fell asleep while in the field. Poppies symbolize eternal sleep, and they also symbolize how Jesus Christ died but then rose from the dead. Lots of really interesting, deep meanings! And there's the simple reason that poppies are pretty flowers and I think Poppy is a cool name.

As for names of other characters, I choose names I like and that fit the physical appearance of my characters. I never intentially name my characters after real people in my life.


4. When did you start writing books?
While I've always loved writing, I only started writing books when I was about 30.

5. What are you working on? Can you please share?
I am currently working on a paranormal romance YA and a cute fairy tale-like middle grade novel. I'm always looking for a new, exciting challenge.

6. What do you like to do in your free time?

Free time? What's that? LOL
Lately, I would just like to get a little sleep. I also like to do yoga, and now that it's finally getting warm, I like taking long walks and going wakeboarding.

7. What would you do if you won the lottery?

Travel, do fun things for my friends and family, and start a foundation for children.


8. What has been your favorite book to write?
While I consider all of my novels my "babies," I have to admit that I'm the most excited for Lifted. I put so much time and attention into this project and I think that with each book, I get better at writing.

9. Any last words? :)
Thanks for the great interview questions, Kim!

Let's have a chat with...Leah Cypess

Today is April 27th. Possibly the best day of this month; even my date of birth does not live up to this day. It is...the release of MISTWOOD by Leah Cypess!!! *happy dances* If my copy does not arrive today, I am hitting the bookstore. I've seen some hardcopies online and they are very SHINY! Yay for shiny books!

I had the wonderful chance to interview the lovely author herself. Without further ado, here is Leah Cypess...

1. I've developed a love for shape-shifters. If you could shape-shift into any other object or creature, what would it be?

A bird. Which might seem like a strange answer given that I'm somewhat afraid of heights and hate flying in airplanes, but I assume as a bird I wouldn't have those problems.

2. As I know, you spent many years writing Mistwood. Was the final product different than what you had a few years ago?

Oh, yes. The main plot points never changed, but during the revisions process, entire scenes were taken out, entire new scenes were written,and at least one scene skipped all over the book before finding its proper place. I also did a lot of adding and refining descriptions,something I usually don't have much of in a first draft.

3. How did you come up with the character names in your book?

I came up with most of these names so long ago that I don't remember exactly, but I can tell you that usually, I go with some combination of syllables -- or some variation of a real-world name -- that feels"right" to me. (A very rigorous scientific method.) Usually, either this comes to me right off the bat, or else I fill a page with invented names until I hit upon one that I like. Sometimes, when I haven't thought of the right name for a character yet, I'll just use a blank line as a "placeholder" until I make my decision. If I'm doing this for two characters at once, it can get a little confusing.

4. I can't wait to read what you have next for us. What are you currently working on?

Thank you! There will be a companion novel to Mistwood, which I am currently revising with my editor and which I hope will be published in 2011. I'm also working on a third book set in the world of Mistwood, and simultaneously on a fantasy novel set in our world.

5. What is the best restaurant you have ever eaten at?

In Jerusalem, Israel, where I studied for a year, there is a place near the central bus station that makes these gigantic stuffed laffas. I'm not sure I can call it a "restaurant" because it's more like a hole in the wall, and you can smell the grease from the street, but those laffas were the best things I have ever tasted. It was especially amazing because they were filled with things I usually don't like -- meat, chicken, french fries, etc. -- but somehow the combination was addictive.

6. What are three things in nature you find the most beautiful?

Mountains, sunsets, and the sea.

7. Can you remember your last dream?

Oh, yes. I was in school (either college or high school, I don't remember) and it was the end of the semester. I hadn't attended any of my classes or opened any of my books and I couldn't even remember which of my finals was on which day.

Thank you Leah! And to those who are reading this post, get your butt out there and buy yourself a copy of Mistwood!

Let's have a chat with...Kristin Walker!

Today, we have a wonderful debut author whose book releases today called A Match Made in High School. I really recommend reading it! You can find a review for it on my blog below this post.

1. You have a plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Ever since watching Under the Tuscan Sun, I've wanted to visit Positano (or anywhere on the Amalfi coast, for that matter). I even found a webcam streaming live from a hotel in Positano, looking over the town and out to sea. I like to watch it sometimes. What a dork I am.

2. What is your favorite citrus fruit?
For years, I have waited for someone to ask me this question, because my choice is not merely my favorite citrus fruit, but my favorite fruit of all. It is the humble lime -- the most underrated fruit on Earth. It works in sweet dishes. It works in savory dishes. Mexican to Thai, drinks to desserts, the lime does it all. It brightens a cosmopolitan and prevents scurvy. What's not to like? Lime lovers unite!

3. Tell us a random fact about a character in your book.
Fiona has a major fangirl crush on Jack White.

4. What was the last book you read? And review it in three words.
MY ÁNTONIA, by Willa Cather. Absorbing sensory adventure.

5. Are you a lefty or a righty?
Righty. But I can write backwards with my left hand. It's not pretty, though.

6. Why do you write? Do you write more at night or in the morning?
I write because I love it and I can do it while staying home with my kids. As for writing time, I take any I can get. Sometimes early morning, sometimes late night, sometimes marathon weekend sessions, sometimes on long car trips (not when I'm driving!). Whenever.


7. Where can we find you on the net?

http://www.kristin-walker.com/
http://twitter.com/kristin_walker
http://www.facebook.com/kristin.walker3
http://www.myspace.com/kristin_walker_writes
http://walkwrite.livejournal.com/
http://krisitn-walker.blogspot.com/
also at the Tenners:
http://community.livejournal.com/10_ers/


8. What next for you?
Apparently, I'm supposed to write more books, so I guess I'll do that. Wish me luck!

9. Any last words?
Just to say that this was fun! Thanks for having me here!

Thanks for the interview, Kristin!

Let's have a chat...with Kristina Springer

I am so elated to announce that this is my first ever author interview, and what makes it even better is it's Kristina Springer-author of The Espressologist!

Here it is; hope you enjoy! (; (Answers are in brown because... well...COFFEE!)

1. First of all, why coffee? Why not french fries or muffins?
Matchmaking based on french fries made me laugh. :) But ok, why coffee? Because coffee can get SO detailed and personal! You can tell so much about a person from it. Really, what does a small extra hot sugar free cinnamon soy latte say to you? And how about a large caramel mocha extra caramel extra whip cream with chocolate shavings on top?

2. What does your favorite coffee say about you?
Jane and I share the same favorite drink. :-)

Large non fat mocha with no whip

Fun and sweet. A bit naïve. Most often happy. Always friendly. Trying to be health conscious (nonfat milk, no whip) but not that hard (mocha). :-)

3. How was the process of writing The Espressologist?
I didn't plot or plan this one-- I just showed up at the local Starbucks a few night a week for four months and wrote what came to me at that moment. It was a super fun book to write!

4. Who is the girl on the cover?
I have no clue! I'd love to know though. Girl on the cover, please write to me. :)

5. What's next for you?
I’m super excited about my next book! It’s called, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS and it’s about two 7th grade BFFs who each think each other’s “boyfriend” is a fake. It becomes competitive (like if one says her boyfriend sent her carnations the other says her boyfriend sent her roses) and hilarious. It will be out in the fall of 2010.

6. Any last words?
I love chatting so feel free to e-mail/facebook/tweet me!

Thanks again, Kristina Springer! :)

Interview with an author's sister :)

The wonderful, Kelsey Barnholdt, volunteered to be one of my interview victims! *Squee* In case you don't know, she is Lauren Barnholdt's sister. I want to thank her for giving up some of her precious time to answer my questions. :) Let's not waste anymore time; here is the interview!

1. Describe Lauren Barnholdt in one word.
One word is hard! But I'm going to go with "Amazing."

2. Which book of your sister's is your favorite and why?
I love all her books! But Two way Street is my favorite because it's dedicated to me! Also because I like how it goes from back and forth from male/female point of view.

3. What character in her books do you like the best?
I love Devon Delaney! The voice my sister gives her is so funny and realistic. It's how I think sometimes.

4. Who are some of your favorite authors?
My sister! Sarah Dessen, Stephenie Meyer, Meg Cabot, and I've recently started to get into Jessica Burkhart!

5. If you could be any book, what would you be?
My sister! Sarah Dessen, Stephenie Meyer, Meg Cabot, and I've recently started to get into Jessica Burkhart!

6. Any final words?
Thanks for the questions! And for doing this for my sister! =)

Once again, thank you very much for doing this interview! :)

Comment below for an extra entry .

Interview With a Book Blogger...

This was supposed to be up in the morning so my apologies! xD This interview is really full of heart, and I for one think it is really witty. Here's Kate from The Never Ending Shelf! Give her some love as she is probably one of the nicest bloggers I have ever met. :)

1. What would be your first reaction if you were told you had to go on a road trip with your ex-boyfriend?
To be honest, it depends on which ex-boyfriend I had to do the road trip with. There are some that I might be ok with, and there are others that I would secretly be plotting their demise. But knowing my luck, I would end up with the worst of the worse, and have no way to get out of it.

2. If you were to exaggerate about yourself to make friends, what truths would you stretch?
I have no clue. I am sure there is something that I would probably exaggerate, but let's pretend I didn't say that... Instead I answered, I would never do that. People will just love me for who I am... ;)

3. Would you prefer someone to lie to you in order to protect you or just be honest and tell you the truth?
Probably be honest. I like to think that I can handle the truth. Or at least I hope I can.

4. What is the biggest mistake you have ever made and what would you have done differently if you had a chance?
Wow, that is a hard question. Probably dating someone to make an ex-boyfriend angry. It worked kinda, but I wish I had never done it. We ended up having a really huge fight and never really talked after that. Sadly, I don't know if I could have done anything different. We were just a little too alike in our personalities, so we said a lot of things that we probably didn't mean. And the rest is history.

5. If you could be on a reality show, which one would it be and why?
I would love to be on Survivor. It just looks like a lot of fun. Plus it could help me lose some of the weight I gained in college :)

6. Tell us four truths and a lie about you:
I am left handed.
I didn't mean to make question 4 sound so depressing.
I have met over 10 authors.
I am a speed reader.

7. What book of Lauren's do you want to read and why?
I would like to read Two Way Street. I have heard really good things about it and this author.

Contest post will be up later than planned. I have much homework that I need to do and I failed to schedule a post...Because of that, you will get double entries ! :D which reminds me that I need to count entries more. Check back on Friday for an interview with Lauren Barnholdt's sister! :D

Thank you, Kate, for being the first one to want to participate! :) If you would like to be featured, please give me an e-mail at andanythingbookish@gmail.com

Interview with a book blogger (2)

Let's give it up for Lauren from The Here. The Now. And The Books! This is really cool because she has the same first name as the author this week is devoted to...well, it's cool to me! :)

Again, her answers made me laugh out loud. I love the bloggers featured this week because they sure know how to spice up an interview! :D


1. What would be your first reaction if you were told you had to go on a road trip with your ex-boyfriend?
"He's paying for EVERYTHING!"

2. If you were to exaggerate about yourself to make friends, what truths would you stretch?
I'm actually really famous online...I have about 100,000 followers and people won't quit sending me all these love letters!

3. Would you prefer someone to lie to you in order to protect you or just be honest and tell you the truth?
This person would have to be protecting me from something big because I don't like being lied to. But if it was to protect my life rather than my heart heck yeah! Lie to me!

4. What is the biggest mistake you have ever made and what would you have done differently if you had a chance?
I lost contact to a dear friend after something tragic happened in her life. If I could go back I would try to keep in contact with her more...

I would have also like to have pressed NO DEAL on Deal or No Deal but I pressed Deal... *sigh*

5. If you could be on a reality show, which one would it be and why?
Big Brother!!! I could totally win that show. I am very persuasive...they hold no chance against me and my evil monkeys!!! Muahhaha!

6. Tell us four truths and a lie about you:
1. I don't like the Evermore Series as much as a lot of other people seem to...
2. I am under 15.
3. One of my biggest dreams is to move to Europe. I'm not sure why but it's like fate calling me.
4. I am a completle and total sucker for any romance. Let the Love Live On!
One Lie: I am NOT crazy!

7. What book of Lauren's do you want to read and why?

I want to read this book really really bad now...

If you do not want to be attacked by Lauren's evil monkeys, you will comment below right now...Oh and since Lauren revealed her lie, there will be no guessing! There will be a new contest post up tomorrow, but comments below still count as entries. Boy, am I going to have a lot of entries to count! :O

Interview with a book blogger...

During this week, I will be featuring interview of book bloggers asking questions relating to Lauren Barnholdt's books. To kick off the interviews, we have Wendy of The Book Lush. Her answers were one of the replies that cracked me up so hard that I had my mom staring at me xD


1. What would be your first reaction if you were told you had to go on a road trip with your ex-boyfriend?
Since the first word out of my mouth would be a bad, bad word that starts with the f letter then I don't think that would work really well. In fact, I'd probably run the little creep-o over!


2. If you were to exaggerate about yourself to make friends, what truths would you stretch?
I'm Fidel Castro's granddaughter and I had to run from Cuba when I was little because his enemies wanted to kill me; I have a super seckrit chip in my head that makes me awesome and they want it. FACT. And if you want to be awesome too, you will be my friend. (It worked with Kim! xD)


3. Would you prefer someone to lie to you in order to protect you or just be honest and tell you the truth?
Lie to me all the way! Seriously though, I want to know the truth (the truth is OUT THERE. See: Mulder le Fox. I mean.. oh, whatever) I can't deal with lies, and once I stop trusting a person, he or she is out of my circle.

4. What is the biggest mistake you have ever made and what would you have done differently if you had a chance?
Oh! Unless you wanna spend the next year reading about this then let's just say this: I've learned from them (no matter how cheesy that sounds) i.e. I'm never dating a friend's family member. (Girls, DON'T DO IT!)


5. If you could be on a reality show, which one would it be and why?
Big Brother. I would be the female version of Will. And if you know what that means I love you and will you marry me?


6. Tell us four truths and a lie about you:
1. I play the violin.

2. I have a very sexy accent.

3. My hair is reddish brown.

4. I am not wearing underwear.

5. I have a pitbull.


You can guess for an extra entry in the contest. It doesn't matter if you're right or wrong!

7. What book of Lauren's do you want to read and why?
Two-way Street. It sounds exceedingly awesome. (Kinda like me... what?)

Thank you, Wendy, for answering my questions! Because of that, I will have to agree that you ARE exceedingly awesome. Tomorrow, another interview will be up. If you would like to be featured during the week, please give me an e-mail at andanythingbookish@gmail.com