Book Tour: Cicada Review and Giveaway

Cicada by Belle Whittington
★★★★★
Release Date: July 14, 2011
Age: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Paranormal Romance
Format: e-book
Source: blog tour
Buy it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords
More: Facebook | YouTube | Goodreads | Amazon

Summertime had always been carefree and fun for Blair Reynolds and her friends--until they came upon something that was not human. As the group of friends band together in a fight for their lives, Blair's true love becomes something more than human...something unnatural. And their existence relies on their ability to keep a secret.

When I started Cicada I knew only 2 things: it was a sci-fi book, and a cicada is an insect. As I tore through the pages of this fluid and easy to digest novel, I fell in love with the simple Texas story of love and more. Yes it has science fiction elements, but it's not only a book about impossibilities it is also a book about everything that is possible in life, even those things we never expect.

Cicada is a summer story, which made me yearn for long and lazy warm days. I found Belle Whittington to be an author who doesn't just spell things out for the reader but makes you search for information in her writing, and I loved that. While a fun and easy read in the beginning Belle beefs up the story quite a bit by the end with twists in the story and just enough suspense to keep any reader on their toes. She also creates beautiful scenes in the readers mind of what is happening in the story. I could easily picture everything from the old ranch to the bakery that Blair's mother owns.

It's a book about so many things but when I think of Cicada the word that pops into my mind is change. Everything changes for this young group of characters in the short months leading up to college and for Blair, leading up to senior year. Some of these changes have been good and some not.

There's a love story that unfolds between the pages that really took me by surprise. That doesn't mean I'm not happy it happened, but I was kind of in shock when everything was confessed. That's great writing, when you are literally going back a few pages to see how in the world you could have missed that! Then realize the small changes in behavior leading up to the emotion filled moments. It's a beautiful love that is young yet powerful and I enjoyed reading every second of it.

Aside from Blair we meet her brother Andrew and their 3 close friends. Everett, one of their friends is a self confessed nerd and from the very beginning I knew he was something special. He was my favorite character from the book, I liked Blair and all but I don't know, I just really liked Everett. Blair comes off as young and while she grows and changes a lot through the book we definitely see the most growth in Everett both emotional and physical. Her characters have real personalities and it's a refreshing read.

The intriguing story line gets more and more developed as the story moves forward, it continues to build. I'm glad it's one of a series because there is still so much more to learn. There is a bit left unanswered but it's understandable, it's a book one and we all know how that goes "Holy Cliffhanger" although this one isn't too bad. And, a bonus, the e-book I read had a preview of book 2, so I'm a little satisfied until it releases.

So, recap. 
Do I recommend this book? Yes.
Why? Because it's beautiful and real and very unique.

Book Trailer

Giveaway
On this stop of the tour, thanks to Bree and Belle, I will be giving away an e-book copy of Cicada by Belle Whittington to one random entrant.


To Enter:
simply comment on this blog post with your email address and your favorite thing about summer.
Don't feel comfortable leaving your email, understandable, email me your answer here.
Giveaway will end November 18th! Winner will be contacted, if I do not receive a response within 48 hours I will choose a new winner.
Giveaway is now over

Also, there will be a grand prize and to enter all you need to do is comment on a blog tour stop.
One comment per person per stop.
The grand prize will include a custom Cicada bracelet and earrings, bookmark, and an e-book copy of Cicada.

Make sure to check out the next stop on the tour 

Assortments on November 14th!