Shudder, Book II of Stitch Trilogy by Samantha Durante

Samantha Durante has written a unique tale of science fiction. I am honored to be a part of this fantastic tour. Congratulations Samantha and I can hardly wait for Book III.

The Highlight Tour with Prism Book Tours& Samantha’s Summer Tour

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

Shudder

348 pages

Published June 15, 2013

— Book 2 in the Stitch Trilogy —

It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords

Also available in the iTunes store, Kobo, and wherever e-books are sold!

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MY REVIEW OF SHUDDDER

Alessa is finally learning what the Stitch is all about.

Now, she has a mission. She wants to get it done so she can go home. She has no idea if Janie is dead or alive. It had broken her heart to leave her behind.

The Mission:

1. Find the rebels base.

2. Figure out who is the enemy.

3. Avoid the creatures.

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The cover for Shudder is very pretty. I like that the covers of the trilogy are similar.

Samantha Durante’s second book of the trilogy, Shudder, is another resounding hit. It has so many things going on that, at times, I was torn about where I wanted the story to go. There is much to decipher, while she weaves her way through the hidden pitfalls.

Alessa left Pargon and her sister behind her to be with Isaac. But she could not forget about Joe, even though it was jeopardizing her relationship with Isaac. I’m thinking there must be a reason that Joe is on her mind so much. Will we see him again?

The nuclear winter caused when the bombs fell created famines. As the viral epidemic decimated the population and people became more and more desperate to survive, there was a group of men who figured out a solution. But, it is not a solution that anyone in their right mind could believe would work. I wonder if the same would happen in the real world.

The saying: “History repeats itself” is so pertinent to the events happening to Alessa.

It makes me think of the Holocaust and and the evil that spawned from the minds of some evil men who thought they had all the answers. It, also, makes me think of American politics at this time, how a few can disregard the many, for their own gains.

It is amazing to me that the egos of some people allow them to think they have all answers and, therefore, have the right to play God.

The thought of a virus wiping out the majority of the Earth’s population is something real. Just think – due to rapid means of travel, a virus could be spread world-wide before it is even recognized. I have talked to a doctor who believes that is what will be our downfall.

Would our governments step in and decide who would live and who would die? What do you think?

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest and unbaised review. I was eagerly waiting for Book II of the Stich Trilogy and would have written the review regardless. Now I am waiting for Book III so I can see how Alessa’s story ends.

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GUEST POST

Painstakingly Plotted World

Review at Frodo’s Blog of Randomness (good comments here on POVs)

The plot! People, the twists and turns in this book?! Seriously, it’s amazing how Durante keeps you on your toes throughout. I kept thinking I had everything figured out and then BAM, another wrench thrown into what I thought I knew. There are conflicts of interest between characters, on opposite sides and even on their own. Dangers lurk around every corner. New abilities are just waiting to be discovered! How do you get better than that? Awesome.

Review at Wintry Words

Starting Shudder, I had little idea where the story was going to go. I had little predictions that might go somewhere, but in the end…nothing went as planned. Shudder has so ferociously shown me how quickly good things can turn bad. When things should’ve been heart-lifting, but ended up heartbreaking. There wasn’t a moment where I was privy to the whole plot. Samantha keeps you guessing throughout every page, ever chapter. Roads she could’ve led the plot down are erased and then rewritten. She puppeteers the story into a direction you wouldn’t think possible. Yet again Samantha breaks all boundaries before set.

Review at Cynthia Shepp Book Reviews & Editing

The complexity of the plot and the dynamics have you wondering what exactly Samantha has in her mind to be able to imagine this complex world. I never one time imagined that what happens in the book could actually happen but now the idea is planted firmly in my mind. It is a little freaky. While reading the book, you will do nothing but search your mind, wondering what in the world could happen next, and you would be wrong every time.

Review at Dark Obsession Chronicles

I’m having trouble wrapping my head around all the revelations, and questions Shudder contained. Yet another noodle warp. … Stitch really did set it up, but like Neo found out in the Matrix, that rabbit hole is one freaky mother. … I was surprised, confused, hopeful, frustrated, elated, and flabbergasted at times while reading Shudder. That is a sign right there. Any book that can give you some sort of emotional roller coaster (but not a traumatizing one,) is definite re-read material.

Review at Nette’s Bookshelf

I find the juxtaposition of Paragon and our society fascinatingly similar. Similar in that we are so enamored or distracted by “reality t.v” and the lives of others that we forget about what’s going on “out there” in the real world. I also find similarities with the ruling class and our government but I’m going to stop at this sentence, lest I get away from myself and begin discussing politics and world issues and other topics that have nothing to do with my review of a book. And that whole issue with the food? One word. Monsanto. Anyway, I’m getting away from myself here…What I’m trying to say is, Samantha Durante creatively and cleverly devised a story that’s based on real-life ideas and turned it into a thought provoking novel.

Interview at Passionate Book Divas

Something about the dystopian genre has always drawn me to it even since I was a little kid. I vividly remember reading The Giver back in sixth grade and I just loved how much it made me think. I guess that’s true of science fiction in general – I love trying to picture how we could get from where we are today to one of these crazy future societies.

Guest Post at Book Briefs

To me, there’s nothing creepier than a place that’s *supposed* to be filled with people, but isn’t Being alone in a big, quiet place just sets my primal instinct sirens wailing. My heart starts fluttering in anticipation of the need to run or fight, and every tiny noise rings in my ears like a cannon blast. It was this eerie feeling – of being utterly alone, but at the same time, not feeling in any way secure – that I sought to recreate in Shudder.

Review at Fuonlyknew

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Samantha Durante, Author of the Stitch Trilogy

As an avid lifelong reader of fiction of all sorts, there’s nothing I find more engrossing than an epic sci-fi/fantasy/romance series. I’ve whiled away countless weekends of my life immersed in richly-woven worlds that someone else was kind enough to put on paper… about the author

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series.

Website * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter

Stitch

314 pages

Published August 1st, 2012

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa’s body screams at her to run… but yet she’s powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence… Goodreads

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