{Blog Tour} Shudder by Samantha Durante

Shudder
Series: Stitch Trilogy Book 2
Author: Samantha Durante
Genre: Dystopian
Published June 15th 2013 by Samantha Durante
Source: Review copy from author in exchange for honest review
Buy: Amazon, Kindle, B&N, Smashwords

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...

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.

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

Stitch was such a unique dystopian book with a great plot. It was certainly memorable and I was really looking forward and super excited to read Shudder! I'm totally captivated by the intense storyline and how the story slowly unravel and explains some lingering questions from Stitch. I love how the author did that and even maintaining the smooth flow of story. 

Shudder continues from Stitch after Alessa and Issac made successfully made their escape from Paragon and on a mission to find a safe base for the rebels. Danger followed them in the form of strange creatures and Alessa's sudden ability to feel 'things'. This really took the plot to another level. At the same time, interesting things were happening in Paragon which shed some light into how Paragon was formed. Pretty interesting. Told from a few characters' perspective, Shudder will keep you at the edge of the chair. 

I feel that it would be better to read Stitch before heading onto Shudder. You'll want to know what brought Alessa and Isaac together to be able to fully appreciate Shudder. Stitch is an interesting story with unique plot. Both books are easy to read and the ending of Shudder is enough to make me crave for the third book. I'm really looking forward to 'Stuck' in 2014!

Haven’t read the first book in the series? Check out my review here.  Just $0.99 at Amazon!

The Draftsman met her eyes earnestly.  “Listen, Phoenix.  I know Paragon is not the best place ever created.  But if you were the person you remind me of – if you were my granddaughter – I’d tell you to look at it from this perspective: we’re alive, right?  We’re fed, we’re clothed, and we’re not at war any longer.  Our planet is slowly recovering, and someday we’ll even be able to leave this compound again.  We’ll be able to really start over.”

He stroked his beard for a moment before leaning in toward her, his voice barely above a whisper.  “I’ll admit I had more than a few reservations when the Developer first approached me, Phoenix.  But the plans were already in motion, whether I got on board or not.  Perhaps I’m a coward,” he admitted, shame coloring his features, “but I quickly realized that I was better off with them than against them.”

He raised one eyebrow and held her gaze with a meaningful look.  “You think on that now.”

Phoenix caught the subtle note of warning in his tone, but before she could ask him what he meant, a familiar mechanical whoosh broke the silence and the Developer poked his long, greasy face in the doorway.  His eyes slid over Phoenix and landed on the Draftsman.

The Developer’s voice sounded its familiar whiny twang as he beckoned at Pascal to follow.  “We have an issue in the holding cells,” he wheezed.  He turned abruptly and left.

Pascal stood and shuffled after him, but looked back at the doorway with one final message, imploring.  “Remember what I said, Phoenix.  Please.  Pick the right team.  Trust me, you don’t want to get this one wrong.”

About the author: Samantha Durante

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. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com.