Thursday YA Book Review: Subway Palliatopia by S.W. Lothian

Publication Date: 04 Apr. 2018

From the Publisher:

EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE.

In a world that’s self-obsessed, every moment is shared and every move is posted. If you don’t follow you don’t care. Those who don’t care aren’t worth the time.

The city of New York grows by half a million people per annum. Each year over 20,000 go missing - that's more than 50 per day. Of these, 6,500 are runaways, 12,700 are found alive, and 1,400 are never found.

Does anyone notice?

What happens to them?

My Thoughts:

I really liked S.W. Lothian's books for younger readers, so I was very happy to hear this long-awaited YA was finally available for me to read.

I was not disappointed. S.W. Lothian knows just how to suck you right into the story, setting the scene for this eerie scenario where the population is so enthralled with their FEED, they don't even see what's happening under their noses.

We follow Wil, whose girl Cas has disappeared, a scary trend that has largely gone unnoticed in the city. In his search for the truth, Wil quickly gets into what seems to be a terrible subway accident, which in turn has him captured by a mysterious organization. He's trapped in Subway Palliotopia, where nothing is as it seems.

I don't want to spoil the plot, so I'll just sum it up this way: readers of The Hunger Games and Scott Westerfeld's novels will like this YA dystopian. The writing is superb and very accessible, the characters so relatable--I can't wait for the next in the series to come out. Subway Palliatopia is one of those books that transcends the YA genre. Highly recommended.

Check out the trailer for Subway Palliatopia:

You can order the book right here 

And find out more about S.W. Lothian here.

February brings school visits, good karma, and new mystery TV and books

Welcome to February, the shorty of the months. Here in Colorado, we're getting a few warm days every now and then, which always cheers me up. I hope in your neck of the woods, you get a bit of spring thrown your way, too.

In the writing department, I'm putting a final polish on the crime novel-in-progress for adults before sending it off for edits, plus I'm starting a shiny new middle-grade novel. One of my writer buddies initiated a writing challenge for this month, so I'm joining in for fun. New writing is always good for the spirit.

And February is for school visits, too! Hot dog, the calendar is brimming with Skype visits, in-person visits--those are the best part of my job, honestly. Middle-graders are super cool.

For those of you looking to earn some good karma: author friend S.W. Lothian is building a little library for the oncology ward at the Princess Margeret Children's Hospital in Perth, so kids fighting cancer (and their families) can find a little refuge in a book. Donating is easy, and doesn't even have to cost you in postage (Perth being in Australia and all). Here's the post on S.W. Lothian's blog; contact him to help out!

Mystery Books

I'm reading the Edgar Award nominees for Best Novel this month; so far, they're all really good...

I'm in the middle of Alafair Burke's The Ex, which is having me stay up well past my bedtime. I fear I'll have no thoughts on who will win... What great reading--go check out the nominees here.

Mystery TV

We're Netflix and Amazon binge-watching nutters here in the Bradley house. In the past couple of months, we worked our way through Breaking Bad, Stranger Things, OA, Sneaky Pete (so fun!), Bosch, and now Travelers. I feel like we're living in the golden age of television at the moment, with the best stuff happening on these independent providers. Especially with the current state of politics, I gladly escape to some fictional world, don't you?

Any good TV shows you have to recommend?

Oh, and in recommended music, here's Barns Courtney's Fire. Has a cool, old-school vibe to it.

MMGM book review: Time Square-The Shift by S.W. Lothian

From the publisher:

Imagine this. Your dad is a part-time archaeologist who has a tendency to discover things. One day, he comes home from an expedition with a crusty old relic, and dumps it in the basement. You’d probably think everything would be fine and dandy, but that’s where you’re wrong. Because that’s precisely when all the trouble started.

It’s 1930, and Lewis and Eva Hudson are a couple of twin teens with just such a dad. Then, on a chilly wintry day in Washington D.C., the three of them mysteriously disappear into thin air, without a trace.

Throw in a weird and mysterious rival with a point to prove, add a looming disaster that threatens to break time itself, and pretty soon they’re smack bang in the front seat of a roller-coaster to doomsville.


My thoughts:

I read this book on my e-reader this summer, while on a long road trip. I couldn't think of a better book to read--Time Square-The Shift had me hooked from the beginning. I found myself reading portions out loud, making my kids laugh with me.

S.W. Lothian has truly captured that MG audience in this book. I heard the next in the series just came out, so I can get back to the fun...

***Be sure to stop by this blog Friday, when Linc interviews Lewis and Eva for the character book club!***

November Travel, Thankfully Reading, and Other Happenings

It's November! That may not come as a shock to you, but it was to me. Seeing the calendar date made me look behind me to see where time has gone...

But I'm a fan of November, so no worries. I get the hour back that was stolen for Daylight Savings, there are pretty fall colors here in Colorado, and Thanksgiving approaches, which is my favorite holiday. Food, family, all that.

Plus, I'm going to Scottsdale and L.A. next week! If you're attending the AZ & Mountains and Plains Library Association(s) conference, come say hi on Thursday. I'll be talking about different ways to reach reluctant readers.
And you can also find me in Los Angeles for Bouchercon! I'm on a YA panel Friday, and I'll be on the Queen Mary for the YA Funfest on Sunday. You can have lunch with me; I promise I have good table manners.

Also this November, as part of the CBC Roundtable, Linc interviews MG author S.W. Lothian's characters Lewis and Eva--that's on Friday the 14th. You must stop by for that; these characters are so cool.

One thing I don't like about Thanksgiving weekend is the shopping nonsense while the turkey is still warm. And I'm not alone. So Jenn's Book Thoughts has come up with the Thankfully Reading challenge: instead of shopping, we read. Brilliant idea. You can join the fun right here.

So that's November, in a nutshell. No NaNoWriMo for me, but I'm plenty busy anyway.

How about you? Anyone writing, or reading anything good...?