Wednesday, May 30, 2012

BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: SLIDE by Jill Hathaway

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SLIDE
Jill Hathaway
Balzer+Bray
256 pp.
Young Adult (14+)


Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister's friend Sophie didn't kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn't actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else's mind and experiences the world through that person's eyes. She's slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed "friend" when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie's slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting distant lately, especially now that she's been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

SLIDE is a new young adult paranormal suspense novel by debut author Jill Hathaway. She has sent some awesome signed bookmarks to giveaway to some lucky readers. Details on how to enter the drawing are below. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer, author interview & my review of SLIDE!


AUTHOR INTERVIEW:
1.  Describe Slide in one sentence. She sees through the eyes of a killer.

2.  What inspired you to write this story? I actually wrote it for NaNoWriMo a few years ago. I was just trying to write a book that my most reluctant readers would enjoy. (I'm a high school teacher.)

3.  How Vee developed this "power" to slide into other people's bodies is never explained in the book. Can you offer any additional insight into how you came up with the idea? Originally I wanted to write a story in which the main character found herself standing over a dead body but had no idea how she got there. From there, the idea of sliding was born.

4.  As an author of Young Adult fiction, do you read a lot of YA? If so, what are some of your favorite titles/authors? I absolutely love YA. A few of my current favorites are John Green, Courtney Summers, Nova Ren Suma, Megan Miranda, and Cynthia Hand.

5.  Share a little about your road to publication. I didn't start writing seriously until a few years ago when I participated in NaNoWriMo. After I finished my first (truly awful) book, I decided to query agents. Needless to say, I didn't get representation with that book. But I tried again the next year with SLIDE and caught the interest of a few agents. After that, I knew I was onto something special.

6.  What can we expect from you in the future? Thank you for asking! IMPOSTOR, the sequel to SLIDE, will be out next spring. In it, Vee realizes someone else has been sliding into her and using her to do their dirty work.

MY REVIEW:

Fast-paced riveting murder mystery with just enough paranormal thrown in to make it stand out. When Vee passes out, she slides into other people's bodies. She can see and hear what they see and hear, but cannot read their minds. When she slides into the body of a murderer, Vee ends up in a race against time to prevent her sister from becoming the next victim.

SLIDE is quick read. Straight forward story written in first person present tense. The characters are typical high school stereotypes - cheerleaders, jock, etc. - but Hathaway manages to make each character believable and three dimensional. No one is quite what they seem at first glance. There are a few details that are predictable, but not enough to detract from the overall enjoyment of the story. I would love to see these characters again, especially Vee and Rollins. As Vee gains more control over her ability, it would be cool to see her solve more mysteries.

The book does contain some foul language ("b" & "sh" words mostly). There is some discussion of teen sex, but none actually occurs in the story itself. And there is a brief description of a murdered girl, but otherwise the violence is minimal. I enjoyed SLIDE thoroughly and had a hard time putting it down the closer I got to the end.


MY RATING:   4 out of 5 stars
Profanity: Heavy
Violence: Moderate
Sex: Moderate

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

(2) winners will each receive a SLIDE bookmark signed by the author. To be eligible, just leave a comment & your email below! 
This giveaway ends on June 13th! 

31 comments:

  1. Very clever premise for a book trailer. It's always great to hear when a NaNo story breaks through.

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  3. I'm reading an ARC of this book now, but I'd love to have a copy to give to my writing protegee!

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  4. Oh this book looks so good and the trailer only makes me want to read it more!

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  5. This sounds interesting! I'm adding it to my list of books to read!
    djbartelt(at)gmail(dot)com

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  6. Oh, can't wait to read it!
    beth6325(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  7. This book sounds so interesting! Mystery and Paranormal a couple of my favorite combo's definitely going to check it out!

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  8. how awesome! i love your blog

    crisa_itgirl@yahoo.com

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  9. thanks for this giveaway. this book looks like a great read. Gale
    pgan427@yahoo.com

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  10. I have this book but have not had a chnce to read it yet. Would love the bookmark to go with my book :)

    gaby891 AT YAHOO DOT COM

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  11. I would love to win! Thanks a bunch!!

    psdpoling@sbcglobal.net

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  12. Wow Im Gonna Love This Book I Have It On My Wish List. butterfli262002@yahoo.com

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  13. I have an ARC of this to read..I am super excited to start it!

    lili.lost.in.a.book@gmail.com

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  14. I want to win for a friend who love the book slide!
    Thanks for the chance
    mizzykhayla AT gmail DOT com

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  15. I'm really looking forward to reading this book :)

    alison.fees(at)gmail(dot)com

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  16. This book has been on my to-be-read list for such a long time, so a bookmark would be a great start to my goal of reading Slide!

    tabbs55@gmail.com

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  17. I like the entire concept of the book.
    kassandralopez32@yahoo.com

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  18. Great write up on this one! It sounds very interesting. Thank you for the giveaway. cody(at)wilger(dot)com

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  19. Thanks for the giveaway, I love bookmarks!!!
    agarcia6510 at columbus dot rr dot com

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  20. The book sounds great and I can always use a cool bookmark :)
    malibu311 at gmail dot com

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  21. Slide sounds fabulous and bookmarks are awesome so this is a great combo :)

    readingwishes@hotmail.com

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  22. this is on my tbr pile for sure! ooooh bookmark!! ashleyryansnyder@gmail.com

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  23. Thanks for the giveaway.
    wingedpersephone at gmail dot com

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  24. I really want to read this book. I also love bookmarks LOL :D

    Thanks for the giveaway!!!

    tiffany.webb29@yahoo.com

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  25. I love reading. I hope I win.
    kathyross75@yahoo.com

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  26. I've read it and gosh, it's really good!
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    treechanie(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  27. I would love to win. I am anxious to red the book. I love and need more bookmarks. I am a true bookworm. worley.la@gmail.com

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  28. I can't wait to read this! Thanks for the giveaway!

    aylintwilight@yahoo.com

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