Thursday, February 21, 2013

FOCUS (THE CRESCENT CHRONICLES) BLOG TOUR ~ REVIEWS AND GIVEAWAY


Coming 2/22
 
 

Welcome to my stop on the Focus (The Crescent Chronicles) Blog Tour! The tour is being hosted by AToMR Tours; you can find the complete tour schedule here. My stop includes reviews of Flight and Focus (The Crescent Chronicles 1 & 2) and a tour giveaway.
 
 
Flight (The Crescent Chronicles, #1)Series: The Crescent Chronicles #1
Genre: New Adult Paranormal
Publisher: Alyssa Rose Ivy
Publication Date: 8/16/12
Format: ebook
Pages: 268
Source: Received from author for review.
 


Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.
Fun, exhilerating, and unique, Flight is a great start to the paranormal series, The Crescent Chronicles.
 
I know that I say this a lot, but paranormal books are tricky for me. I often feel as if I'm reading the same story, over and over again. That is so not the case with Flight. I loved the New Orleans setting of the story. I've read a few stories that almost seemed to use the famous city as a gimmick, but not here. This is a city that the author is very familiar with and she uses it to her advantage. As Allie became familiar with the city, I was able to visualize Canal Street, Bourbon Street, Cafe du Monde, and many other notable areas of New Orleans. It felt nice to "revisit" the Crescent City.
 
As for the supernatural elements to Flight, I'm not going to reveal that here. I went into the story completely blind, and I loved discovering the hidden world right along with Alli. What Ivy came up with was so cool, so unique, and pretty darn wicked. Allie finds out what creatures are hidden are hidden with the city fairly quickly, and I loved that she didn't lead us along the whole book, dangling bits and pieces and building frustration. It was nice to know the basics of what was going on, and then to be able to get down to business.
 
Allie was a great heroine. She's so smart, but not arrogant. She handles the supernatural secrets like a champ, maybe a little too well, but I didn't really care. She's fairly pragmatic, not prone to hysterics and denials in the face of the obvious. Levi, the guy who introduces her to the magic, is hot, charming and a little infuriating. I love that he doesn't hide who he is from Alli, but oh boy, he is tricky! Through lies of omission, Levi brings Allie in way too deep, and it costs her a lot. I wanted to dislike him, but I just couldn't do it. *shrugs* Allie's reactions to Levi's deceit was spot-on. She is not going to let him off easy.
 
The story also includes a fantastic cast of secondary characters. Hailey, Owen, and Jared are all big players in the story, and I loved them each time they appeared, which was often. Jared was my favorite, most likely because he's a smarta$$.
 
Flight was a fun and interesting story all the way through. It was such a quick read, and I mananged to fly (pun totally intended) through in just a couple hours. I immediately began book two, Focus.
 
 

Favorite Quote:
 
  Shivering with anticipation, I didn't let my eyes leave his gaze. When the kiss came it was as aggressive as the way he held me--unyielding. Without waiting, he pushed into my mouth, deepening the kiss quickly. Groaning, he pulled me even closer, his hands holding me possessively. I gave myself over to him completely, wanting him more than I thought possible.  ~71%



Focus (The Crescent Chronicles, #2)Series: The Crescent Chronicles #2
Genre: New Adult Paranormal
Publisher: Alyssa Rose Ivy
Publication Date: 1/23/13
Format: eARC
Pages: 331
Source: Received from author for review.


Freshman year of college is hard even when you're not tied to the future king of a supernatural society.

Allie dives into college head first with Hailey as her roommate and the city of New Orleans as her backyard. As things within The Society heat up, Allie realizes that whether she’s with Levi or not, she's in far too deep to turn back.



 

 
 
A fantastic follow-up to Flight,  Focus continues The Crescent Chronicles with a story that did not disappoint.
 
After finishing book one, I immediately jumped into Focus. I wanted to know how Allie was going to deal with being unwittingly tied to the supernatural world, and Levi. How she was going to deal with her feelings for Levi, but her desire to make her own choices and live her own life. In Focus, the author didn't waste time picking up the story, and the hits just kept coming.
 
It's really hard for me to discuss Flight too deeply without spoilers. I will say that I love how the author handled Allie and her feelings. on-going ramifications of her becoming involved in Levi's world. Her feelings of anger, betrayal of trust, and intrigue all made her into a much more believable, genuine character. I loved that Levi, though he's not really sorry for pulling Alli irrevocably into his life, still tries to make things right with her. That he gave her her space, allowed her time to think and deal with her feelings, helped his cause. Despite their sketchy start, I just really enjoy these two as a couple.
 
Focus, like Flight, moved along at an incredibly quick pace. Not too fast, but enough to hold my attention and keep me wondering what was going to happen next. There were some funny moments, some really sweet, steamy moments (which are more of the fade-to-black variety), and a nice twist at the end.
 
With Flight and Focus, Alyssa Rose Ivy has given readers a very cool series. I'm really glad I decided to give the books a try. The Crescent Chronicles will continue with Found, this summer, and I cannot wait to see where the series takes Allie and Levi next.
 
 
 
Favorite Quote:
 
  He closed the space between us, his lips claiming mine with a fierceness I wasn't expecting.
  He carried me over to the bed, and somewhere between the bathroom, and laying me down, he'd lost the towel. "I like this side of you, Al."
  "The naked side or the take-charge side?"
  "Both. Definitely both."  ~71%
 
I can't believe that both quotes I chose came from 71%. Weird!
 
 
 
The Crescent Chronicles Series
 

Flight (The Crescent Chronicles, #1)Focus (The Crescent Chronicles, #2)
Click on cover for GoodReads page
 
 
 
 
 
Purchase Flight and Focus at:
 
 
 
GIVEAWAY
 
 
 
 
 
 
About the author:
Alyssa Rose IvyAlyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Connect with Alyssa at:
Website | GoodReads | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Amazon
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24 comments:

  1. Love Allie & Levi! Although I can't blame Allie for being mad about what Levi did at the end of Flight but it was nice to see them fall for each other again in Focus. Hailey, Owen, and Jared are also awesome characters. I love the unique paranormal world. I read so much in the paranormal genre that it can began to all seem the same. This is a fun change.

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  2. I love paranormal books, but I do completely agree that so many of them are formulaic now. It's probably why I've struggled with the genre recently. These books sounds like good reads though and I'm glad you had fun with them. Brilliant reviews! :)

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  3. It's my stop today too! I love this series. Despite Levi's deceit, I love love him. Great reviews. Agree with both. Except I didn't like Jared until Focus. ;)

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  4. I keep hearing really great things about this one, plus I just adore the cover for Flight. After seeing so many good reviews from bloggers whose opinion I trust, I really am going to have to make time for this book... once things at work calm down.

    Awesome review!

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  5. HA! That is weird that both quotes happened to be from 71%.

    I only read the first review and skimmed the second because I haven't started this series yet but wow the first one sounds good. I am so curious about the supernatural element. Happy to see that the characters were developed really good and the romance was sweet. Fabulous review!

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  6. I like the sound of Allie as a main character as well as the fact that there is a unique take on the paranormal genre plus a cool setting that the author actually knew and wrote well.
    Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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  7. The more I hear about this series the more I want to read it. I am very intrigued. Awesome reviews hon!!

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  8. Wow, these sound great and really different! Awesome reviews, as usual :)

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  9. Thanks for the giveaway! I really want to read these books now!

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  10. Thanks for the giveaway! I really want to read these books now!

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  11. I have my review of Focus today too!
    I really like this series and I love that’s it’s different. No vampires, angels or werewolves.
    I liked that wing scene ;)
    She writes the most awesome secondary characters, I want Jared’s story! And Owen’s and Hailey’s. Heck I even liked Andrew.
    Can’t wait to read Found. I hope we get some Levi POV’s.

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  12. Oh I like the sound of this series Andrea, and now I'm wondering what the paranormal aspect is! I like going into things blind sometimes as well. Wonderful reviews and thanks for the giveaway! :)

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  13. Loving those quotes. This sounds like an awesome series. Thanks for sharing & the giveaway! :)

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  14. I'm so glad you didn't spoil the paranormal elements in this story. I always love going into a book and experiencing it without knowing every aspect. Great reviews, as usual :D

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  15. Excellent review of Flight (I avoided the one of Focus, since I need to read Flight first)! Another book added to my TBR list :)

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  17. Hi, great review! You're a new author for me and the books sound awesome. I have added these books to my wish list.
    Thanks :)

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  18. Okay, I think your reviews might be the most convincing for me since I feel the same way about paranormal in YA. I need to know that the book delivers something DIFFERENT. I have heard a lot of good things about these books!

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  19. I get what you mean about this one. The very best part for me was how different this world was. Loved that about it. I am gonna give book 2 a chance.

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  20. I really loved this series to. I can't wait to see what happens in Found. Great reviews.

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  21. I remember reading Flight a couple months back and really enjoying it, especially Levi. He's the typical bad boy type that I fall for over and over again. I'm so happy to hear that the sequel is just as great, if not, greater. Great reviews!

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  22. Another great review! The books sound really good too. I agree about paranormal sometimes feeling like the same story but I still read them.

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  23. I'm so glad you enjoyed Flight and Focus! Thanks for reading and reviewing them! :)

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