Becky's View: Lucid by P.T. Michelle

Lucid by P.T. Michelle
♦ self-published
♦ release date: July 9th, 2012
♦ ebook, 272 pages
♦ intended audience: Young adult
♦ series: Brightest Kind of Darkness, book 2
   (review of book 1)
*Spoiler alert! Description and review may contain spoilers for book 1 in the series!*

Once Nara combines her prophetic ability with Ethan’s power to outsmart Fate at his own deadly cat-and-mouse game, she’s more determined than ever to help Ethan learn the meaning behind the raven sword tattoo that suddenly appeared on his back after their confrontation with Fate.

During her quest to uncover the tattoo’s secrets, Nara enlists the help of some new friends and discovers her own surprising connection to Ethan.

While Nara digs deeper into the mystery, her desire for answers leads her down a dangerous path full of powerful and ruthless enemies. Swept into an age-old battle, Nara quickly learns that keeping one’s enemies close can be a necessary evil, making an intangible enemy she can control far more preferable to the human enemies she can’t.

Review: With Lucid, this series continues it's awesomeness.  Brightest Kind of Darkness was easily one of my favorite reads last year, and while Lucid left me a little less starry eyed, it was still a fantastic, exciting read.  

Lucid really had a very different feel from BKoD, mainly because Ethan is hardly present in it at all. It takes place shortly after book one left off, and Ethan is gone for most of the book to try and rebuild a relationship with this parents.  I thought this might bother me at first, but I actually loved how the connection between him and Nara and the ravens came a little more to light because he was gone. Plus, it gave us a chance to see Nara stand on her own two feet and grow as her own character---and for her to have a chance to let some new people into her life.  And when I say new people, I mean Drystan---lovely Welsh, kick-ass parkour-doing, all around good guy with a few interesting secrets of his own.  I love watching parkour, so to see it incorporated into a story and used as a cool kind of self-defense added a really unique touch to this story.  For those of you dreading that this will spin into a love triangle, have no fear.  I think we're safe there.  He makes a good friend to Nara, there's a great connection there.  I hope he has a part in book 3 because I can't wait to hear more about his background and his part in all of it.  

As for the parts where Ethan does make an appearance, things get pretty steamy. :)  But he was also a little too intense and possessive and it turned me off from him a bit. It sounds like he's been through a lot and learned a great deal while he was away, so I can't wait to find out more about what he's uncovered about his powers and his connection to Nara.  I loved all the raven-lore we get to read about while Nara is frantically researching to find an answer to their mystery.  She finds a raven sanctuary and what happens on her first visit there is absolutely magical.  There are some serious baddies after Nara and her raven research, but what they're after and why is a mystery that has yet to be unraveled in the next installment.  We also get a lot more insight into what happened with Nara's dad.  Lucid leaves us with a bit of surprise twist, a bit of a cliffhanger, and a few more questions, so now I'm eagerly anticipating book 3!

So, I do have one small negative---and really, it may just be me and my own bizarre idiosyncrasies on this one.  In my own crazy reading quirks, there is one writing mishap that trips me up every time.  It's when one phrase is used too many times.  I'm not going to say what phrase it was, because I don't want anyone else to catch on to it if it doesn't bother them (kind of like when someone points out a flaw in a picture that you never noticed, and from then on that's all you notice. )  However, for my review, it was worth mentioning because it completely distracted me every time it came up, even enough to momentarily pull my mind out of the story. 

Aside from that, an awesome sequel that left me with enough questions to start craving the third installment!! I also can't wait for the third book's cover reveal---the first two have been gorgeous!

Visit P.T. Michelle: Website  •  Facebook  •  Twitter

Purchase Lucid at: Amazon  •  BN.com   •  Smashwords

(coming soon to paperback, too!)

Happy Book Birthday, Lucid by PT Michelle! (+ Giveaway!)

Just wanted to give a quick shout out for P.T. Michelle & Lucid, the next in the Brightest Kind of Darkness series! Happy Book Birthday!!

Brightest Kind of Darkness was one of my absolute favorite books of last year. You can check out my review here. If you've never heard of this series, you must track it down soon...you can find both books here. Amazing stuff, and I can't wait to get more of Inara & Ethan!!

So, in honor of the new release, I want to give away an e-copy of each book so someone new can discover this wonderful series!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover reveal: Lucid by P.T. Michelle

I can't say enough about P.T. Michelle's book, The Brightest Kind of Darkness. I LOVED it. I recommended it to everyone I know, I mention it whenever I can on this blog...it completely blew me away. If you haven't seen my full review of it, click here and check it out.

So, why am I telling you this now? Well, because today I'm helping reveal the gorgeous cover for book #2, Lucid!! LOOK!

Definitely looking forward to this! I need more Nara & Ethan!
Look for it Spring 2012!

Interview with P.T. Michelle & Brightest Kind of Darkness Giveaway!

I'm so happy to have an amazing author here to answer a few question today...P.T. Michelle! As you guys might have seen earlier this week, I reviewed her newest book, Brightest Kind of Darkness. I absolutely loved it (check out my review). So I asked her to come by for a visit at Stories & Sweeties!

Welcome, Patrice!

Describe Brightest Kind of Darkness in your own words?

Brightest Kind of Darkness is a story about choosing your own path despite seemingly overwhelming obstacles. It’s about falling in love and forging a deep connection. And how that connection can redefine who you thought you were, helping you understand life doesn't have to be a lonely trip down a one-way highway, but instead a journey with many avenues and possibilities.

Is there a planned release schedule for the following books in the series?

The next story will be a novella (LUCID), which will bridge the gap of time between book 1 and book 2.

Can you tell a little about how you got interested in writing?

I’ve been an avid reader since I was a teen. It was after I’d spent a summer reading book after book (probably 60 or so) that I realized I wanted to be the person writing stories that made people sigh when they finished the book.

Tell us about your ideal writing space.

My ideal writing space is either my couch or bed. Anywhere comfortable, where I can open my laptop and start typing.

As a previously published author, what made you decide to self-publish this time around?

The industry changing is what made me decide to self-publish this time around. I’ve been published with small press publishers as well as by one of the biggest NY publishers, so I definitely went into this with my eyes wide open. Self-publishing is more upfront work, but I have to say…I love the freedom. I love being able to create my own cover—have it fit the vision I wanted. I like the ability to publish when the story is ready, and the total control over the price and the formats the book is available in.

Who are your favorite authors? What are you reading right now?

In YA, I love the work by my critique partners: Jeri Smith Ready (Shade series) and J.A Templeton (The Deepest Cut) as well as Lauren Oliver and Gayle Forman’s books. In adult, I just recently finished Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. Really loved those books. I’m currently reading Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

What kind of books did you love to read as a teenager?

First it was fantasy novels, like Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time series, then the entire Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. Later, as an older teen, I found romances. I devoured historicals like crazy…until I discovered paranormals.

Which of the characters that you've written is your favorite? That’s a hard question.

Each character I write is my favorite while I’m writing them. I get so immersed in their world…that’s all I think about 24/7.

In your book, Nara fights against Fate. What about you…do you tend to leave things to fate?

Haha, no. I fight fate every step of the way. Nara’s need to control what’s happening around her…I’m not OCD about it like Nara, but I can definitely relate.

A Few Fun questions :)

Favorite snack while writing? Dark Chocolate (Ghirardelli Intense Dark Twilight Delight)

Favorite movie? I love the love story in Practical Magic—how the little girl, who’s mother died of a broken heart, didn’t ever want to feel the kind of hurt her mother had, so she cast a spell, wishing for her true love to be a man with a combination of skills so improbable, he couldn’t possibly exist. Except he did.

Favorite color? Purple

Favorite band and song right now? Adele. The whole 21 album. Her voice is so breath-catchingly soulful.

Favorite teacher from your school years? You know what’s funny…I don’t remember a favorite teacher. I've had several great teaches over the years. What I do remember was my high school English teacher snorting in disbelief when I told her I’d won the school’s poetry contest. After that, I was more determined than ever to become a writer. LOL!

And everyone who visits Stories & Sweeties answers this one: Do you like cupcakes? :) Frosting or cake better? I love cupcakes. For me, it takes BOTH the sugary-sweet frosting and the soft cake to make it truly enjoyable.

* * * * * * * *

GIVEAWAY TIME!

One winner is going to receive an ebook of

Brightest Kind of Darkness!

Just fill out the ENTRY FORM HERE!

• Open internationally
• Must 13 or older
• Enter by 11:59 PM (PST) on September 30th, 2011
  

Review: Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle

Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle

publisher: self-published (Patrice Michelle)

release date: June 27th 2011

Ebook (book will be in print this fall!)

intended audience: Young adult

rating:



source: purchased for Nook

description:
Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate…until she dreams a future she can’t ignore.

After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate.

Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.

Review:
A funny little thing happened with this book that rarely happens to me: I bought this after seeing a good review of it on another blog (typical me, can't remember where exactly) and was furthermore drawn in by that breathtaking cover. Downloaded it, opened it up quickly to read the first few pages, you know, just to get a taste of the story and the voice. Well, after those first pages, I couldn't put it down. It went with me everywhere, got opened up in grocery store lines, at the pharmacy, even snuck in a few pages on the desk at work (shhhhh!). I was engulfed in Inara's story from start to finish.

Inara is a great character---pretty normal teenager except for the fact that she sees the events of her next day in her dreams the night before. She's had this gift for years and has become pretty dependent on her ability to keep on top of everything from homework, to friends, to soccer. She learned the hard way not to intervene---one attempt when she was little ended up with some pretty ugly repercussions, so she just lets the day play out as she foresees it. Until she dreams of a bomb going off at her school and can't stand by to let people die. So she calls in an anonymous tip about the bomb...and suddenly her dreams start to disappear almost completely. Really eerie things start to happen every time she tries to interfere from then on.

The day after the bomb-threat, she meets Ethan, a boy whose life she inadvertently saved by calling in the bomb. He's got a sketchy rumor-riddled past and he's a bit antisocial, but he's drawn to Nara, seems to know whenever she needs anything, and seems to be able to read her every thought almost before she has it. And yet, not the typical jump-in-and-save-the-girl Hero, either; Nara was bright and could hold her own. I fell for their relationship head over heels---it was addictive to watch it unfold and find out the what's and why's of all the bizarre things happening between them, but it was also just a pleasure to read...they had such an ease and comfort with each other. A few emotional moments here and there with Inara's father issues and I will tell you that the quick glimpse we get of Ethan's backstory had me in tears.

Michelle did a fantastic job of giving the reader a satisfying closure on this chapter of the story, but also leaving us wanting more, more, more of Nara & Ethan and Creepy Mr. Fate! I know there is more to come, and I got the feeling that there might be some really epic, ancient origins behind Nara's fight with Fate and Ethan's role in all of it. A fantastic read!

Visit P.T. Michelle's website here!

Purchase Brightest Kind Of Darkness at: Amazon • BN.com • Smashwords

Click to read an excerpt!