ARC Review: The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard [Blog Tour & Giveaway]

Title: The Almost Girl
Author: Amalie Howard
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Release Date: 4th January 2014
Publisher: Strange Chemistry Books
Rating: 
Review Copy: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon | B&N | TBD
Book Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. But coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory.

Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows.  Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more.

Faced with hideous reanimated Vector soldiers from her own world with agendas of their own, as well as an unexpected reunion with a sister who despises her, it is a race against time to bring Caden back to Neospes. But things aren’t always as they seem, and Riven will have to search for truth. Family betrayals and royal coups are only the tip of the iceberg. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?

REVIEW
*Thank you Angry Robots and NetGalley for the ARC!!*

I am at awe at this book. I liked it a lot. It is such a fast paced book that leaves me wanting more. More Riven. More Cade. More Neospes. The story made me breathless! Riven is such a good character and well developed. From being a cold-hearted Legion General to being just a seventeen year old girl.... Wow. It's just so right.

The scenes, I could picture it so well. The descriptions for everything are not excessive. It did not overload like some books who describe everything from what they dress to the dirt on the surroundings. NO. This book is so not like that. It will leave you wanting more, you need to know more about Riven, about Neospes. You'd want more that you just need to keep on reading and reading and reading that you wouldn't even know you are done with. Only when you see the Acknowledgement that you will know that you need to see even a sneak peek of the second book. Yes. That's how I felt after I finished it.

It is not that much of a cliffhanger since the main story was finished. I just want to see her and her father. Also, I must say I didn't expect the turn of events in that last part. I keep on guessing and telling myself that this and that person is innocent, that this one is a lying one, etc. But wow. Amalie Howard proved me wrong. She twisted what I have on my mind, made me cry from some parts, empathize with the characters' feelings... Ack. I know I keep repeating but it's just that good.

The only things I don't like was it is a bit of instalove. But I guess tolerable for me. I didn't like that they also make out in her father's house (risking their selves if they get caught).

I WANT BOOK TWO PLEASEEEEE!!!! :)

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A rising star among young adult writers, Amalie Howard developed a loyal following after releasing her debut book, “Bloodspell,” in 2011. Now, she is returning with five new books that are sure to excite her devoted fans and catch the attention of new readers.

A bookworm from the beginning, Howard grew up on a small island in the Caribbean with her nose buried in books. When she was just 13 years old, her poem “The Candle” was published in a University of Warwick journal, marking a sign of great things to come. Howard immersed herself into other cultures, globetrotting through 22 countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. After moving to the United States, she earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies and French from Colby College in Maine. She also holds a certificate in French literature from the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, France. Traveling around the world, Howard has lent talents as a research assistant, marketing representative, freelance writer, teen speaker, blogger and global sales executive.

Howard is a recipient of a Royal Commonwealth Society award, an international youth writing competition. She is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Howard’s first book, “Bloodspell” (June 2011, Langdon Street Press) earned rave reviews and was named a Seventeen Magazine Summer Beach Read. Readers will hear more from Howard as she releases a pair of two-book series, “Waterfell” (November 2013, Harlequin TEEN) and “The Almost Girl” (January 2014, Strange Chemistry), as well as “Alpha Goddess” (March 2014, Skyhorse/Sky Pony Press) over the next two years.

Howard lives in New York with her husband, three children and one willful feline that she is convinced may have been a witch’s cat in a past life.

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