*Blog Tour Review & Tour Wide Giveaway] The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

 

Summary:

 

First it was SLUT scribbled all over Lizzie Hart’s locker.

But one week after Lizzie kills herself, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie's looping scrawl.

Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she's caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie's own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 304 pages (Paperback)

Source: Netgalley ARC

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Expected Publication Date: May 7th 2013 by Gallery Books

 

 

The S-Word was one of those books that is going to stay with me for a long time to come and I'm still trying to gather my wits about me so if my review seems jumbled and vague my apologies. This was such an intricate novel that I don't want to give anything major away.

 

For those of you that have been reading my blog for awhile you know that contemporary YA novels are not my most favourite books so I surprised myself for signing up for this tour in an effort to expose myself to new authors and get into other genres more.

 

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher was a realistic read that brought me back to my high school days (which are only 5 years behind me). The characters were very life like and some of them had me questioning weather the author had plucked people out of my past but that just goes to show that the high school experience is one that is similar no matter where you grow up.

 

The book was a heavy read and a pretty powerful one at that. The darkness, sadness and cruelty of the story line as well as the characters the author created. I wasn't expecting this one to turn out like it did even though I had seen review of it before and read the summary it still surprised me but I was most surprised by my reaction to it.

 

I really felt for Lizzie and Angie. Lizzie I felt bad for that she turned to suicide as the answer and Angie I felt bad for because she was left reeling from the suicide of her best friend, guilt for turning her back on her as well as the pressure she puts on herself investigating what drove her beloved Lizzie to kill herself.

 

When I finished the book the one thing I thought of was that it reminded me of a spiders-web. There were many seemingly unimportant threads on the outside the worked their way into the center of the web in the for of the overall plot line and I was really surprised by the complexity of it all because I wasn't expecting such a high level of skill from a debut author.

 

Emotional, raw and slightly unforgiving I thought this was a good read with good main characters and an above average plot line. My only issue with it was that it was a little too clichéd at times and I wish that a couple of the side characters had been slightly more developed. Despite the dark subject matter I thought it was a very good read.

 

I would highly recommend this book to fans of the contemporary young adult genre especially if you're in the market for an emotionally gritty novel dealing with teen suicide, the horrors of high school for today's teens and looking for a unique read.

 

Author Bio:

 

Chelsea Pitcher is a native of Portland, OR where she received her BA in English Literature. Fascinated by all things literary, she began gobbling up stories as soon as she could read, and especially enjoys delving into the darker places to see if she can draw out some light. 

 

 *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

 

 

Really Liked It!
★★★★

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Valkyrie Rising (Valkyrie #1) by Ingrid Paulson

 

Summary:

 

Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there.

What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.

Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly-epic coming of age.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 352 pages (Hardcover)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Publication Date: October 9th 2012 by HarperTeen

 

FINALLY! A book with Valkyries set in NORWAY! I cannot tell you how happy those two things made me while I read Valkyrie Rising. Seriously. I'm sick of mythological being appearing out of the blue in the U.S.A. I don't know why but it really irks me. So the fact that Ingrid Paulson wrote a young adult novel about the Valkyries that took place in Norway was a huge deal for me. Plus the fact that she made some attempts to talk about places in Norway showed she did a bit of research on the country which I totally appreciated since the book was read for my Around the World Reading Challenge.

 

I've always loved Norse mythology so when I found out about this book months ago I couldn't wait to read it but like always when I got the book from the library I didn't get around to reading it until the night before it's due back...which was last night. However, the book had me hooked from the first page so it worked out remarkably well since the writing was so addictive I could not put the book down at all.

 

Ingrid Paulson brought a fantastic debut novel to the table that has a lot of action, Norse mythology, a wee bit of romance and a kick ass heroine that comes into her own. I absolutely loved Elsa (Ellie)'s character. She started off very unsure of herself and very shy but by the end of the novel she matured, and became a lot stronger sand more self confident which was great to see because I hate characters who are pushovers. I loved how much she cared about not only rescuing her older brother Graham but also rescuing all the other boys Astrid the leader of the Valkyries kidnapped for use in Odin's army.

 

The other characters in the novel were great too. Graham, Ellie's brother was the typical annoying big brother. He was always butting his head into her business and trying to make decisions for her completely ignoring the fact that she is her own person.

 

Tucker was a great love interest for Ellie because of his teasing nature he balanced out her more serious nature and he added a lot of humour to the book which was needed and I thought he was really endearing despite the fact that he was a little annoying in the beginning.

 

Hilda, who is Ellie and Graham's grandmother on their father's side was unlike any grandmother I've ever read about and if you read the book you'll find out why that is. I thought she was a wonderful chsaracter and you csn tell that Ellie gets a lot of her strength from her Grandmother.

 

Overall all other characters were great. I was a little bit worried that there wouldnt be very much attention paid to the side characters but they were wonderfully created and they had just the right amount of depth to make the interesting and to make me want to read more about them in the next book in the series.

 

The plot was also wonderfully written. There was a lot of action that was interwoven with the mythology and romance themes which were not over done or cheesy but were just right. I liked how the story was mainly focused on Ellie's search for her brother and learning about who and what she is as well as a bit of the mythology behind the Valkyries. The romance between her and Tucker thankfully too a backseat for most of the novel and I am so glad that their relationship wasn't another dreaded case of the wretched insta-love fad that's been plaguing young adult novels as of late. The pace of the novel was great and it kept me reading late into the night and I couldn't put it down until I finished it because I couldn't wait to see how it ended. The story will draw you in and you'll be thinking about it long after you finish it.

 

Ingrid Paulson wrote a great debut novel and I highly recommend this novel to everyone especially if you're a fan of young adult novels that deal with mythology especially Norse mythology. I think she's a talented author and I can't wait to read the next book in the series and this is definetly one of the best books I've read in 2012.

 

Loved it!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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