Review & G!veaway - Luminosity by Stephanie Thomas

 

The Luminosity by Stephanie Thomas Blog Tour

hosted by Shane at Itchingforbooks stops here today!

Release date: November 2012

Publisher: Entangled teen

Goodreads : Amazon : Website : Twitter

Book Blurb:

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.

Author Spotlight:

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).

My Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

Luminosity is the first book in Stephanie Thomas’s Raven Chronicles, where we are introduced to a futuristic post-war world filled with Seers, Dreamcatchers and Citizens.

Seventeen year-old Beatrice is seen to be the most revered Seer at the Institution, a place where all children blessed with the Sight are sent from babies and a place which is all about uniformity. Having seen a recent attack from the Dreamcatchers, The Keeper who runs the Institution has come to rely on Bea for her clear visions and the disasters and threats which she has been able to prevent.

The Dreamcatchers are the enemy, they are able to reach in to the minds of normal humans – or citizens through their dreams or touch and can more or less shatter their mind, hence the reason the Seers are required to protect the City. Echo has been visiting Bea in her dreams with a vague message about them saving one another and although she trusts him, we don’t find out a lot about Echo or their purpose.

The plot was intriguing and watching Bea question what she had always been taught at the Institution as well as being pinpointed as the Seer in a vision which saw her leading a revolution was quite interesting because it seemed to go against everything we learn about her as a character so I am keen to see how this element is played out in the sequel.

I liked the supporting characters, one of my favorites was definitely Gabriel ‘Gabe’, Bea’s best friend who she was starting to develop feelings for and someone who has been by her side since childhood; he was an absolute sweetheart and was oblivious to Bea’s interactions with the enemy, Echo.

I enjoyed the premise of Luminosity, it was certainly fresh and unique but as with most first books in a series, there is a lot of information to take in. I liked each of the characters interactions, I was saddened by how the Seers lived and were more or less forced to learn to fight – as well as watch their close friends die, it made me really question the Keepers motivations from the onset.

I enjoyed Ms. Thomas’s writing, the pacing flowed well, the characters were each likable. The concept of Luminosity kept me engaged and I am eager to see how everything plays out in the next installment.

Thank-you to Entangled Teen and Shane at Itching for Books for the opportunity to participate in this tour.

 

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