Mel's Shelves: Blog Tour: Terra

On Tour with Prism Book Tours...

Hello there! My name is Gretchen Powell. I am 24 years old, half-Chinese, and the owner of two adorable miniature schnauzers. I am an occasional drinker of classy wines, and I wrote a book.

By day, I work for a government contractor in our nation’s capital.

By night, I binge on episodes of Doctor Who and sleep fitfully.

Sometime in the mid-afternoon, I write another blog called Honey, I Shrunk the Gretchen! about weight loss, food, fitness, and my life.

Some of my favorite things include polka dots, Harry Potter, pretty much any TV show that airs on Thursday nights (yep, I'm talking Vampire Diaries #notashamed), and playing the ukulele.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Terra

by Gretchen Powell

Paperback, 286 pages

Published December 12th 2012 by Hopewell Media

Premise:

A broken and desolate Earth. A young girl struggling to survive. A lost boy with a powerful secret.

A discovery that will change everything.

In the distant wake of a plague that has decimated the Earth's population, humanity is split in two: The rich and powerful live in skycities that float overhead, while those who remain on the ground have gathered in settlements strewn across a dying planet. Eighteen-year-old Terra Rhodon is a terrestrial--a denizen of the barren groundworld--who makes her living as a scav. Long abandoned by her father, her caregivers gone, Terra supports herself and her younger brother, Mica, by scouring the earth for discarded scraps and metals to recycle for profit. One day, while on a routine scavenging run, she discovers something that shocks her home settlement of Genesis X-16. When the value of her discovery is revealed, Terra's world is turned upside down.

Terra suddenly finds herself asking questions no one will answer. Her search for the truth leads her to Adam--a beguiling skydweller unlike any she has ever met. But Adam has secrets and a quest of his own, and with him by her side, the world Terra thought she knew begins to unravel. Soon her discoveries unearth a terrifying conspiracy that has the potential to shatter everything--a revelation that will test the bonds of loyalty, family, and love.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

I loved this book! First of all, I have a sister named Tera, so I knew I had to give this book a chance. When I first started it, I felt that it had some similarities to The Hunger Games (which isn't bad--I love THG, too) but then it takes a turn and goes down its own unique, adventurous path. Terra, 18, and Mica, 13, are orphans--their mother and grandmother have died and their father abandoned them. Terra scavenges for scraps and metal to recycle to help them survive. One day she discovers something she's never seen before and she gets a lot of credits (money) for it, which will keep them comfortably fed for a long time. As she realizes how life changing this find is, she decides to look for more to help her brother get an even better advantage in life.

What happens next, though, changes her life even more and the book is full of twists and turns I didn't see coming--a big plus for me! She meets Adam and he's mysterious (with beautiful, blue eyes) and, at first, she tries to get away from him but he keeps turning up so they decide to work together. I love the way their relationship develops and am excited to read the rest of the series to see how it will turn out since his secret is pretty big.

Terra is a strong character. She's loyal and tough and gives it her all when she fights. She's also caring and is willing to let her walls down for the right person.

I like Terra's relationship with Mica. They look out for each other and care about what happens to the other one. Mica doesn't always make the best decisions, but he is only 13, and doesn't try to do anything harmful. I also kept expecting their father to appear again and it will be interesting to see if he does. Because of how their world works, he would be able to come back and be forgiven or come back and be hated even more.

And the ending--oh, my! I'm really looking forward to book 2 to see what happens next! I highly recommend this to anyone that likes dystopian, and if you've never read dystopian, this is a good one to start with.

Content: A few swear words

My Rating: 4.5 stars

In Terra's world, resources are scarce and many people make their living as "scavs," hunting for scraps to turn in on Collection Day in exchange for credits. For this tour, YOU are a scav, and there are scraps all over the blogosphere for you to find! On each participating blog, there will be one of 9 possible questions. Answer the question to receive a keyword that will get you an extra entry in the awesome giveaway!

Find the BEST answer to Terra Collection #4 in the excerpt at Jessie's Book Place

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Giveaway April 1 - 26

One lucky scav will win a Terra prize pack! Get a signed copy of Terra, along with three exclusive (and gorgeous!) bookmarks, as well as a delicate silver watch--just like Terra's!--all packed up inside a scav bag of your very own! US only.

An additional five (FIVE!) winners will get a digital copy of Terra in the format of their choice. International.

Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced on Rafflecopter and Grand Finale posts as well as emailed and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Burgandy Ice @ Colorimetry and Prism Book Tours and sponsored by Gretchen Powell. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terra on Tour!!

April 2013

Check out the Reviews of Terra!! And become a "scav" and track down all the answers to the Collections questions hidden in the excerpts. :-) Plus, celebrate Gretchen's birthday by bringing something fun to the party!!

1 - April Fool's Day LAUNCH!

- Colorimetry

- I Am a Reader, Not a Writer Excerpt 1

- fuonlyknew Excerpt 2

2 - A Tiffyfit's Reading Corner Review

- Pause Time - Review

3 - Jessie's Book Place Excerpt 3

- The Reading Diaries - Excerpt 4

4 - Mel's Shelves - Review

5 - Lovin' Los Libros - Review

7 - Christy's Cozy Corner - Review

- Total Book Geek - Excerpt 5