BLOG TOUR: Between the Stars and Sky by David James - AUTHOR INTERVIEW + GIVEAWAY

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BETWEEN THE STARS AND SKY is a vivid contemporary novel from Young Adult author David James.  Lyrical and romantic, BETWEEN THE STARS AND SKY is a heart-stopping, contemporary read for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and David Levithan. 

SYNOPSIS: "In the small, lakeside town of Huntington, the Firelight Festival marks the end of summer. A time to laugh, to live, to love. And for Jackson Grant, it is a chance to begin again. 

 But there is a darker side to the Firelight Festival, a deadly tradition known as the Firelight Fall. A secret game. A legendary lie. A test of bravery. Those who fall risk everything, and Jackson is on the edge. Until he meets a girl who pushes him over. 

 For Jackson, falling for Sarah Blake might be as dangerous as jumping in the Firelight Fall. As summer burns away, Jackson and Sarah ignite an unstoppable love game. For her, his heart is on fire. And soon, Sarah shows him life, saves him from loss, and opens his heart to an infinite and wild love found between the stars and sky."

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. When you have to put down the pen or the word document for a few minutes, what is your go-to social media? 

I love Twitter probably more than I should. I never thought there would be a media outlet as positive and constructive as Twitter. Sure, I spend hours on the beat tweeting about my horrible coffee habits, but the majority of my time spent online is connecting with other authors and readers. It’s amazing.

2. I know from following you on multiple social media platforms that you are a fan and proponent of Diversity in YA. What book or books would you recommend to readers in search of such a book? 

Yes! Whenever I see a diverse book I usually grab it. My favorites are Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg, the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu, and Winger by Andrew Smith. These three writers especially are really wonderful at writing diverse characters without preaching, without making a big deal out of anything, and without boasting. I think that’s awesome and something you really don’t see when it comes to books centering around diversity.

3. Keeping with book recommendations, what is a book you read growing up that you would suggest everyone read, whether young or old? 

Obviously, Harry Potter. But I remember reading A Wrinkle in Time and totally falling in love with the idea of different worlds and weird people. I think that book really sent me to read others like it.

4. Your prose is so poetic. Who is your favorite poet? Or favorite poem? 

Thank you! I really like Rainer Maria Rilke. He’s my favorite poet ever, and the way he constructs his pieces really just blows my mind. I’m not sure I have a favorite poem of his, just because my favorites usually change with my moods.

5. What is a difference between "Between the Stars and Sky" and your "Legend of the Dreamer" series? What is a similarity? 

Between the Stars and Sky is a contemporary fiction story, so it’s set in the real world. The Legend of the Dreamer series is strictly fantasy. Although, both books are set around the idea that stories make us who we are.

6. If you had to describe "Between the Stars and Sky" in three words, what would they be?

Dangerous. Romantic. Unknown.

7. What character from any of your works do you most identify with?

It changes, I think. Calum from Light of the Moon for a while. But as I was writing Between the Stars and Sky, I fell in love with those characters. Jackson and Kate, the two main character in BtSaS, are both equally emotional and strong, and it was a wild ride writing them. Now, I’d have to say I relate to Sean the most, even though he is the character you don’t see as often as the others. He’s strong in my mind.

8. Do you currently have a guilty pleasure tv show?

Orange is the New Black, totally. I’m addicted. And, of course, Gilmore Girls, which actually was an inspiration for Between the Stars and Sky.

9. What is a movie you recently enjoyed?

The Maze Runner. Have you seen it? IT IS SO GOOD.

10. Is there a book you're reading right now?

I’m currently reading Marie Lu’s The Young Elites and loving it. And I’m looking forward to starting Zoraida Cordova’s The Vicious Deep shortly after.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions, David. Those are a lot of great recommendations. My tbr list just increased. Everyone should check him out on twitter and other social media sites! And buy the book! Links are all below! And don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY, too!

-Paul & Ashley

BUY LINKS
Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David James writes books about stars and kisses and curses. He is the author of the YA novel, LIGHT OF THE MOON, the first book in the Legend of the Dreamer duet, as well as the companion novellas, THE WITCH'S CURSE and THE WARRIOR’S CODE. A Legend of the Dreamer anthology, SHADES OF THE STARS, was released July 2013, and includes the exclusive novella, THE ENCHANTER'S FIRE. The final book in the duet, SHADOW OF THE SUN, will be released in 2015. Living in Michigan, he is addicted to coffee, gummy things, and sarcastic comments. David enjoys bad movies, goofy moments, and shivery nights. Visit David’s blog at djamesauthor.blogspot.com and facebook at facebook.com/djamesauthor to learn more about his novels.

STALK LINKS

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

GIVEAWAY

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Twitter GIVEAWAY! RT+Follow Ends 9/15 (US ONLY)

I recently surpassed 700 followers on Twitter! In celebration, I am hosting a giveaway! All you have to do is RT  THIS TWEET and FOLLOW ME @PWDecker! The giveaway will end on 9/15. I will DM the winner and they may choose which hardcover they would like. US ONLY

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Title: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Year Published: 2013

Paul's REVIEW 5/5
Ashley's REVIEW 5/5

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Ring and the Crown

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Year Published: 2014

Paul's REVIEW

GOOD LUCK and  THANK YOU for following me! Follow me on twitter @PWDecker! RT THIS tweet by 9/15!!!

-PAUL

Arise (Hereafter #2) by Tara Hudson - Ashley's Pre-Reading

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Title: Arise
Author: Tara Hudson
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: New Orleans 
Saint Louis 
Number One Cemetery
A night there can change a life...or a death.

Increasingly worried that dark spirits will carry out their threats and hurt the people she cares for most, Amelia is ready to try anything to protect them. And for his own very different reasons, Joshua has come to this cemetery at midnight to join her in a powerful ritual.

Both know that once Amelia steps inside the Voodoo circle and the beautiful girl from the Conjure Cafe begins the ceremony, everything will change.

Tara Hudson's enthralling sequel to Hereafter escalates the danger and excitement, bringing a new dimension to her already mesmerizing story of a haunted love

Why?: Although Hereafter wasn't my favorite ghost story ever, I'm still interested in how Amelia and Joshua's story continues. Plus, this one is in New Orleans and there are dark spirits, and Voodoo, and it sounds like the creepy just got turned up a notch or three. Also, I won this book as an ARC on Twitter from @HarperTeen.

Expectations: I expect a paranormal romance, but I think this book will be quite a bit darker than Hereafter. While Hereafter was cute and fun, I think this one will focus more on the dark side of being a ghost. 

Judging a book by its cover: I love the colors on this cover - the black, purples, and blues blend to make a really creepy color combination, especially within a cemetery. I also really like that you can't see Amelia's face. It's very mysterious. This cover is pretty typical of paranormal romances though, so I'm not sure if I would pick it up. I probably would though.


--Ashley

Light of the Moon by David James - Paul's REVIEW

***I was provided an ecopy from the author in exchange for an honest review***

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David James on Twitter

Title: Light of the Moon
Author:  David James
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: One night long ago, a constellation disappeared and fell from the sky in the form of a boy...

Secrets are being kept in the sleepy town of Lakewood Hollow, Colorado. Life unfolds in shades of red for Calum, until a mysterious girl named Kate Black enrolls at his school and everything changes. Suddenly a dangerous world of demons, enchanters, and witches unfurls before Calum. He learns that the stars have forever held his destiny, and that the constellations above are much more than what they seem. But life is not so easy for Calum, and he can feel his heart beat faster whenever Kate is close. Worse, Kate's blood holds a dark secret even more dangerous than the war between the demons and enchanters. Soon the two find that there are worse things than loving someone you shouldn't. For Calum and Kate, even love and the fiery power of stars may not be enough to break a curse as dark as the blood that binds their destiny.

About the Author: David James writes books about stars and kisses and curses. He is the author of the YA novel, Light of the Moon, the first book in the Legend of the Dreamer duet, as well as the companion novellas, The Witch's Curse and The Warrior's Code. A Legend of the Dreamer anthology, Shades of the Stars, was released July 2013, and includes the exclusive novella,The Enchanter's Fire. The final book in the duet, Shadow of the Sun, will be released in late 2013. Living in Michigan, David is addicted to coffee, gummy things, and sarcastic comments. He enjoys bad movies, goofy moments, and shivery nights. Learn more about David and his writing adventures at djamesauthor.blogspot.com and follow him at @DJamesAuthor.


Review: David James, the author, was nice enough to provide me a copy of this book. I had already been following him on Twitter and I suggest you do, too. He has a great Twitter account about YA books, writing, and other random interesting things. 

Going into reading this book, I didn't know much about what to expect. I read something about a fallen star taking the form of a human, but I didn't know if it was a romance, a sci-fi, or a fantasy. It turns out it is a little of all of that with some mythology and astrology added as well. 

This book was beautifully written. David James's prose is practically poetry. Because of this, I wouldn't recommend reading this anywhere you may get easily distracted. You really need to pay attention. I thought, at times, there was too much fluff and elegant language. I also thought there was just a little too much exposition for my liking. I prefer to figure out things on my own , but with prophecies involved I guess some things need to be spelled out. Overall, it was very well written. 

I felt this book had a 90's feel to it, or at least a strong 90's influence. I think the author may be a similar age as me so I think that's just what I picked up on. 

This book is written from two perspectives: Calum and Kate. It took me some time to get into the story and figure out how these characters would interact. At first, I wasn't a fan of the Kate chapters but I eventually grew to enjoy them. 

Prophecy is a big part of this book. I always like when prophecies are in books. It always reminds me of Harry Potter. Prophecies are like ongoing puzzles that you can interpret different ways as the story progresses. I like how the prophecy brought together some interesting mythology and astrology, including the Devil and demons. There wasn't a particular religion referenced. David James created such a big, interesting world with references to a lot of different mythologies. 

There were some points in this story where I was surprised by the violence. It was a little more gruesome that I expected. There's a lot of death and described gore. 

I was very interested in the Tyler and Calum relationship, but it didn't go where I thought it was going to go. I'm interested in Tyler's role in the sequel. I'm very excited to read the short stories and the sequel. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a heavy read at times and I wouldn't recommend reading it in places with distractions, but I do recommend it. If you are a fan of modern prophecies with references to mythology and demonology, this is a book for you! I give it a 4/5.

-PAUL