Luminosity BLOG TOUR, REVIEW, and GIVEAWAY

Hi! Welcome to my stop on the Luminosity blog tour!

I'm very excited to be here today, hosting a stop for the Luminosity blog tour! Let's start right off with my review of the fantastic book Luminosity itself!
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Luminosity (Raven Chronicles, #1)
Stephanie Thomas
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Source: Publisher
My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since.
The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me.
But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I think I’ve already helped them win.
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CATCHALL
I loved, loved, loved, Luminosity. It has a strong heroine and a well-developed love triangle. There's also a surprisingly healthy dose of mystery and a heap of the paranormal, even maybe a little bit of magic. It's also a fabulous dystopian. It's a little bit of everything adding up to a whole lot of love. I mean, I really, really loved this one. It wasn't perfect, and it had some flaws and things that bothered me, but overall it was fantastic.

THE HEROINE
BEATRICE
Bea is our strong, questioning heroine. And the thing is, in Bea's world, you don't question everything. The Keeper is always right. Whatever she says goes, and you must live by it. Bea doesn't like that. She doesn't always speak up, which I had a problem with. I understand why she did it, but still. Sometimes things were just completely unacceptable. I see where she tries to justify it, to fit into the world she's used to, but it just doesn't work. However, I liked Bea's protectiveness of her friends and how she's willing to sacrifice. I thought that some secrets weren't worth keeping, but I also understand why she withheld them.

THE LOVE INTEREST
GABRIEL
I really liked Gabe. He's strong and courageous, and he wants to keep Bea safe at all costs. At the same time, he also is kind of frustrating. He gets really annoyed at Bea when she keeps things from him to try and protect him. And okay, I totally understand the frustration, and I don't agree with Bea's decision either. But people make their own choices and sometimes they just need your support. He really just wasn't very supportive and he was totally rude and I am not okay with that. Still, he could definitely be sweet too.
ECHO
I loved Echo. Like, loved. Though we don't see much of him outside of Bea's dreams, we still get to know him intimately. He isn't all about destruction, but he's a survivor, and he'll do what he needs to survive. I admire that survival instant. I think, in the end, that it's impossible to run from what you were made to be. And Echo is what he was made to be. He wants to change some things, to save some things, but some things you simply cannot fight. I like that he accepts that and doesn't stubbornly try to change something that can't be.

THE PLOT
So, wow. I mean, the best part about this plot, hands down, is its originality. Seriously. I have never before read anything like this. Seers? Sure. Dystopians? Sure. But never the two together, and it's absolutely fascinating.

One thing I want to get out of the way: this plot was pretty predictable in some areas. Yes, some things definitely surprised me. Like, a lot. But at the same time some things just felt very, very predictable. There was one thing in particular that was treated like some big reveal and I was just like, "I guessed that at the beginning of the book." And in case you guys don't know, I am not very observant. I never notice these things.

But other than that, I really don't have many complaints. It moved along very smoothly. It didn't feel choppy, and things didn't feel rushed or skipped. Some things felt unnecessary, but hopefully they are explained and come back to make connections in future installments.

Also, I found the whole Seers versus Dreamcatchers thing really fascinating. The Seers protect the people, but they also themselves are locked up. What kind of life is that, really? Also, some of the things they do are horrific. The Dreamcatchers kill people, true, and some of them probably are just evil. But some of them are just trying to survive. Sometimes you have no choice. The whole dynamic of this rising war is just really interesting as a whole.

I mean, overall, there wasn't too much action. There was enough to keep me interested and reading, but there were also a lot of moments for information to be tossed at us. I did like the dream segments especially for some reason, and really any moment with Dreamcatchers. Those were the awesome ones. Plus, the Dreamcatchers have awesome names.

THE ROMANCE
Gabe is Bea's best friend, and recently she's begun to develop feelings for him. She's not sure how he feels about it at first, but it soon becomes clear that he feels something for her too. Even so, Bea pushes him away to protect him. I like their romance, but it doesn't seem very passionate. Echo comes to Bea in her dreams, where she can still feel him and talk to him, like it's real life. In a way, it is. And she thinks she might be falling in love with him. And Echo is safe, because he knows all her secrets. and honestly, it's actually a rare good love triangle. I don't know who Bea's going to end up with yet. I prefer Echo, but not overly strongly.

THE WRITING
The writing in this book is good, but it's a tad simplistic. I mean, barely. Like, it's hardly noticeable, but obviously it is noticeable, so I had to mention it. Though to be honest most people probably won't notice. Even with its slight simplicity, it's still really good. It uses first person, Bea's voice, and I like that. The world-building is lovely, creating a dystopian world inside a "bubble," to use the books's wording. We delve firsthand into her dreams, where Stephanie creates yet a second gorgeous world, where Bea is outside the bubble and everything is different. And they're just built so clearly, and I also like that Bea's voice is relatable.

THE ENDING
Um, this was like, fabulosity. I really liked it. I was pretty sure the whole time where this book was going to end, so it was sort of disappointing in that way to discover I was right just because there's no fun in that. However, I wasn't sure exactly how, so I still got the chance to see how everything turned out. I mostly predicted that part too, actually, but there were still some unexpected happenings this time, so that was nice. Yeah, it was predictable, but somehow still great.

WRAPUP
Yes, I loved Luminosity. I really, truly did. It was a very unique concept, and dystopians are almost always a treat. A love triangle did exist but it's pretty much the ideal one, and the ending was just about right. So, yeah, I'll definitely be continuing this series. Also, I completely recommend it! Dystopians are popular these days, but I promise you that this one truly is unique and different. I honestly think that most people will love it.

FINE.

****FINAL RATING:  4.20 RED ROSES****
tinytinytinytiny
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 Okay! So, now for a little about-the-author:
Stephanie Thomas has been writing ever since she could put letters together to form words. When she was a small child, she would present her mother and father with self-made newspapers filled up with make believe stories and pictures. Her love for writing followed her all throughout her schooling, where she entered and won writing contests of all sorts. Stephanie decided to become an English teacher and completed her B.A. at The Pennsylvania State University. While teaching, she later went on to get her Master’s in writing from The Johns Hopkins University. She completed her very first manuscript during her graduate studies, and by the end of the program, she had completed two more. Stephanie is quick to tell anyone that she’s a born and raised Philadelphian, and her heart will always belong there. She moved to Baltimore with her husband, and they’ve been living there for the last five years with their doggie, Sailor, and their rabbit, Buns (aka “T Sizzle).

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Tour Schedule
11/14/12 K-Books
11/18/12 Hobbitsies
11/21/12 YA Sisterhood
11/25/12 Book Brats
11/26/12 Fiktshun
11/27/12 Bookalicious

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And now, as promised, the giveaway! Actually, even better, there're two. So, there are two rafflecopters. Rafflecopter 1 is simply for a copy of Luminosity!


Rafflecopter 2 is for a signed copy of Luminosity, a raven Pepsi bottle cap necklace, and swag. Super awesome, yes?

Here's a picture of the gorgeous necklace.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389b35/


Well, roses, that should be all! A review and two giveaways…seems like a good deal to me! Good luck to you all!

Lovelovelove,
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