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Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Grip by David Estes + Giveaway!

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This is my stop during the book blitz for Slip (Slip #1) and Grip (Slip #2) by David Estes. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 1 till 5 December, you can view the complete blitz schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.


Grip

By David Estes                              
Genre: Dystopia
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: 1 December, 2014


Blurb:
In a tumultuous world of population control, one illegal child has slipped through the cracks. Now, as a teenager, Benson Kelly has escaped certain deaths at the hands of the Department of Population Control, only to find himself the symbol of a rebellion, something he never intended.

While trying to survive one day at a time, Benson seeks to unravel the tangled knot of secrets left behind when his father died, the key to which has something to do with his mother, Janice Kelly, recently escaped from the insane asylum.

As the rebel group known as the Lifers continue to use brute force to send a message to the government, Benson's twin, Harrison Kelly, seeks to exploit a loophole that could be the key to freedom for his brother. All that's required is a simple act of murder.

Meanwhile, Population Control's attack dog, a sadistic cyborg known as The Destroyer, closes in on Benson and his family. His directive: Kill them all.

Faith, family and love will be pushed to the limits in the GRIPping sequel to Slip.

You can find Grip on Goodreads

You can buy Grip here:
- Amazon


________________________________________

My Rating:  5 EPIC stars!
My Review:
Holy Guacamole Batman! 

Grip is the gripping (pardon the pun) sequel to Slip, my former favorite book by David Estes. Grip has now taken that honor! This book just STUNNED me! Sequels in general have a top job living up to their predecessors, but Grip achieved this with flying colors!

**I should mention at this point that there will be spoilers for Slip in this review, but none for Grip.**

I was so looking forward to this book! I actually read Slip for the first time as an ARC last June, so I couldn't wait to see Benson and Harrison together in action! What I love so much about this book is it didn't play out like I thought it would have at all. Grip, if possible, is even darker than Slip, with higher stakes and even more twists! It completely exceeded my expectations!

Things I loved about Grip:

Harrison In Slip, Harrison really came across as a brat to me, but in this one, he really steps up to the plate. I didn't agree with all his decisions and choices, but I am loving his evolution. He does remind me a lot of his father, Michael Kelly, but so much smarter in so many ways.

A Family Back Together I really loved seeing Harrison and Benson together for the first time. I myself have identical twin boys that are teens, and the bond between them is so strong. Even though Harrison and Benson have been apart their whole lives, they still have this bond. The scenes with them together were my favorites! Then there's Janice--she has her boys back again. She actually shines in parts of this book, and the scenes with this broken family were done so very well. It was easy to relate to Janice in these! I really got the mom factor here. And her craziness is starting to make more and more sense to me. 

Destiny We get a new character in this one, a Slip the same age as our heroes who is also a Slip herself. Destiny takes the cake for creativity and survival technique. One of my favorite characters ever!

The Ads and Articles Throughout the Book As in Slip, Grip is filled with these, and they really help the reader gauge the reaction of the public. There's a lot of brainwashing going on here, and its interesting to me to see the people who get sucked in, and then the ones who don't, whose comments have been deleted. This was my favorite example in this book:

"Do you love dogs but not all the responsibility?
BotPetsTM new line of BotDogs 6.0 is more advanced than ever!
Programmed to perform more than thirty tricks, your pet will keep you
entertained for hours, without ever requiring feeding or exercise.
And like all of our species of BotDogs, there‟s no waste pickup required!
BotPets, we take the poo out of poodle.
Important Disclosures: BotDogs 6.0 were modified from the original design of AttackDogs 6.0
used by Crows in law enforcement endeavors. The “bite” and “attack” commands have been
removed, however, in less than one percent of cases, larger models have been found to be defective. It’s advised that children be supervised around BotDogs 6.0 at all times. BotPets is not
liable for any injury or death resulting from defective products."


The World Building Its again excellent in this book, and we get a much broader scope as well. We learn more about the government, the resistance, and the general public.

The Writing Itself Again, beautiful writing done here! I love seeing a writer grow. One of my favorite quotes:

"Happy moments are like stars. They seem so close you think you can
touch them, but really they’re fleeting and a million miles away. Enjoy them from afar and don’t come to expect them. In your life there will be more cloudy nights than clear ones."


The Twists In Slip, there was one big twist at the end that was MIND BLOWING. In Grip, there are several twists that will blow your mind to a far off galaxy on the other side of the universe! 

The Feels Of course. And the best thing about a David Estes book! You will feel EVERYTHING. The anger, the sadness, the despair, the love, the fear, the hope...everything.

Final verdict for this book: 5 very EPIC stars! This sequel is a stunner. If you're going to take the ride that is this series, make sure you hold on tight, don't lose your grip! (I'm sorry, couldn't help it)

**I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an HONEST review**


Author Photo - David EstesAbout the Author:
Author of popular YA dystopian series, the Dwellers Saga and the Country Saga. Voted books to read if you enjoyed the Hunger Games on Buzzfeed and Listopia.

Join 2,400+ David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite in David Estes' official fan group at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/70863-david-estes-fans-and-ya-book-lovers-unite

David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. David grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife. They now live together in their dream location, Hawaii. A reader all his life, he began writing novels for the children's and YA markets in 2010, and started writing full time in June 2012. Now he travels the world writing with his wife, Adele. David's a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.

You can find and contact David here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads

There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Slip. These are the prizes you can win:
- Winners choice of book to the value of $15.00 U.S. from The Book Depository
- A signed copy of SLIP plus bonus swag- U.S. entrants only
- A signed copy of BREW plus bonus swag- U.S. entrants only
- 3 ebook packs with three David Estes ebooks of your choice
- 4 signed packs of bookmarks

You can enter the blitz wide giveaway here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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