Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway:
Gravity by Melissa West

BookCrushin was very excited to join in the Gravity Blog Tour, we had heard good things about Gravity and The Taking Series by Melissa West and I think all those good things are true! Be sure to grab the ebook of Gravity as it is currently free (for a limited time!) across all retailers to celebrate the release of Collide! We will have all the book & series information, a spoiler-free review and a tour-wide giveaway!

 

Gravity (The Taking #1) by Melissa West

Category: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Romance
Publication: December 18th, 2012; Entangled Teen
Purchase: Amazon, B&N, Kobo

In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

 

Spoiler-Free Review:

[book rating=4.5/5.0]

 

Gravity swooped me off my feet immediately! I was sucked into this world of the future and it was different, detailed and well developed. A prefect sci-fi blend of dystopian and alien genres with a big dose of YA romance. I will admit it, I love alien books! I haven’t read a lot of them–not really sure how vast the genre is–but I have loved every one I have read! Gravity is no different! I am so glad Collide releases this week (2/9/15) because I am definitely going to be reading the rest of this series as soon as possible!

I loved all the characters. Who doesn’t love a kick-ass heroine, a best friend who stands by your side, and two gorgeous boys. Oh the boys, Law the one who you are betrothed to but you only see him as your close friend you had since childhood and the other, Jackson, who is swoony, popular and who seems to genuinely adore you but is untouchable. Of course, Ari Alexander is conflicted with her feelings and ultimately her choices. She didn’t realize she had a choice; not for whom she has to marry nor can she avoid her birthright to ascend as her father’s replacement. The more she learns as she gains access to the government she realizes she must decide to trust someone who doesn’t seem to be very truthful or accept what she always assumed was her fate. Can’t a girl have it all?!

I loved the action in this book. It keep the pages turning and I didn’t want to put the book down! I read it in one sitting and the whole time cursing myself for not reading it sooner! Plus there were aliens! They needed us and we needed them. So why can’t we all just get along? Ah, egos and conflict.

I have to say I would easily have rated this a 5 heart read, but I deducted the half rating because a little bit of the romance in this story felt hard to believe. However, I think the fact that Ari listened to her gut and may have been slightly fascinated with the aliens already made it more understandable. Plus uber hot guy that you are not allowed to be with socially & morally makes him all that more desirable, right? I like the ‘fall for the boy you can’t have’ trope, so it ended up working out. Don’t get me wrong, this didn’t detract from the fun; this is a thoroughly fast-paced, action packed and very enjoyable read!

If you love YA like me, when you pick up this book you will not be able to put it down!

 

Series:

Hover (The Taking #2)

Publication: August 13th, 2013; Entangled Teen
Purchase: Amazon, B&N, Kobo

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because Zeus will do anything to save the Ancients from their dying planet, and he has a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth’s atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems…and no one can be trusted.

 

 

Collide (The Taking #3)

Publication: February 9th, 2015; Entangled Teen
Purchase: Amazon, B&N, Kobo

Military legacy Ari Alexander has survived alien spies, WWIV, and a changing world order. But when the new leader of Earth uses Jackson—the only boy she’s ever let herself care about—to get to her, Ari has no choice but to surrender.

To free Jackson, she agrees to travel to the national bases to train others to fight. What she discovers is a land riddled with dying people. Ari has the power to heal by turning the fighters into aliens—half-breeds like her. If she succeeds, together, they have a chance at overthrowing the alien leader, Zeus. But if she fails, everyone she holds dear will be wiped away forever.

Once again, everything Ari’s come to believe is thrown into question. In a world of uncertainty, loyalties are tested, lies are uncovered, and no one can be trusted. If Ari and Jackson have any hope at survival and at preserving a life for the future, they must fight the final war with their eyes wide open.

 

Author Bio: Melissa West

Melissa West writes young adult and new adult novels for Entangled Teen and Embrace and Penguin/InterMix. She lives outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband and two daughters and spends most of her time writing, reading, or fueling her coffee addiction.

She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and a M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

 

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Book Tour Organized by: