Gravity Blog Tour: review + giveaway

We are so excited to be a part of the Gravity Blog Tour. We thank Shane at Itching For Books for hosting this tour. Today we have our review and a giveaway. 

Gravity (The Taking, Book #1) by Melissa West

YA dystopian*paperback*Publisher: Entangled Publishing*

Expected Publication: October 30th, 2012

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

In the future, only one rule will matter: 

Don’t. Ever. Peek. 

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die. 

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war. 

About the author:

Melissa West

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Melissa lives in a tiny suburb of Atlanta, GA with her husband and daughter. She pretends to like yoga, actually likes shoes, and could not live without coffee. Her writing heroes include greats like Jane Austen and Madeleine L'Engle. 

She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.

Next stops on the tour:

Oct. 24:

  Book Nerd  

The Book Belles 

Stuck In YA Books 

Chocolate Coated Reviews 

Mostly YA Book Obsessed 

Review:

One of the my main reasons for loving the dystopian genre is the vast array of situations the human race finds itself in many of these novels. Delirium, Insurgent, Touch, so many of my favorite books draw me into a new world order featuring unforgettable characters and storylines. Gravity by Melissa West has made my Top Five Favorites of 2012.

With Ari's strong voice, I was immediately drawn into her story. In 2140, the US after WWIV, is a vastly different place. There are only four cities, food is scarce for certain members of society, and the humans receive assistance from the Ancients, god-like beings who help with growing fruits and vegetables, and are involved with the government--to a certain extent. Ari is a child of the Legacy and her father is the Commander. She is being groomed to be the next Commander until the confines of her 'safe' world are tested by the discovery that her classmate and rival, the gorgeous Jackson Locke, is her Ancient. And he's asking for her help, to spy against her father, her country.

Whoa, many a teen girl would fall apart just from the stress of making the decision whether or not to go against everything she's learned and has followed her entire life. Can Ari trust Jackson? Her mind thinks one way but her heart, especially when he looks at her, tells her something else. I know some have had difficulty with getting into Gravity. I have not and I rather liked how the author dangled some information but did not drop paragraph after paragraph of backstory on me. I trusted Ari quite easily and believed in her kickass nature and mature way of thinking. The predicament she falls into is dangerous but she accepts it, knowing the future of her race and homeland depended heavily on how successful she and Jackson were. 

Action, some really cool scenes and powers, a girl who can fight (hand to hand combat, flipping, the works), I loved when Ari thinks to herself she may be small but she's strong. And did I mention romance? Oh yeah, there's some heart tugging romance in Gravity. Watching Ari deal with her awkward feelings for Lawrence, her arranged future husband, and then falling hard for Jackson kept me engrossed. Melissa West does an absolute stellar job creating a futuristic world on the brink of war with the aliens who helped them and gives reader a true heroic couple to support. Not since Katnis and Peeta have I felt so strongly for a couple in a dystopian YA. 

Rating: 4

Favorite excerpt: "“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happening.”

He spins around, his eyes wild. “I don’t know what’s happening, okay? None of this should be happening. None of it.” His head shakes as though he’s fighting to keep from saying more.

“None of it?” I ease toward him, feeling the weight of his words smashing into my chest. “You mean us, don’t you? You’re such a hypocrite! You want me to trust you, yet say I can’t. You tell me you care, then push me away. I’m not built that way! I can’t just turn off my feelings. I can’t just stop…” Tears burn my eyes and I blink them away as I rush toward the door.

Jackson grabs my arm before I can get there and pulls me close, lifting my chin so we’re eye to eye. “Stop what?” he whispers.

I try to look anywhere but at him, knowing that if I allow myself to look into his eyes, I’ll melt. The reservoir will spill over, exposing just how wrecked I am inside.

“Look at me,” he says. “Please.”

My lip shakes and I swallow hard to push back the lump in my throat. Our eyes meet, and within his I see a storm of sadness and frustration. “Stop what?” he repeats.

And I can’t contain myself any longer. I release a shallow breath. “Loving you.”

Jackson inhales sharply and takes a step back, raking a hand through his hair. “You can’t.”

Tears run in steams down my cheeks. I don’t know what I expected him to say, but not this. Anything but this. I reach out for him, and he jerks back, like I’m dangerous—like I’m disturbed. “I know you’re worried. I’m worried too. But I can’t change how I feel or who I feel it for. I love you. And only you.”

He lifts his head, his expression so cold it sends a chill down my spine.

“Don’t.”"

Cover comment: I think I prefer this type of ambiguous cover considering the story rather than having a girl (in a gown) with a guy next to her. I'll leave the job of creating the scenery to my imagination.

Book source: I received an e-book from the author in return for my honest review during a blog tour.

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