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Summer Lovin' RaT | Review: Solstice High, Author Feature Q&A with Ardash Vartparonian & Giveaway

7/5/2013

13 Comments

 
Hi friends,

In honor of the Summer Lovin' read-a-thon, today I have for you a special triple threat post. It's a review, an author feature and a giveaway all in one! With that said, let's get started!

Review

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Publisher: Strategic Book Group
Release Date: October 22, 2012
Format: ebook
Pages: 360 (paperback)
Source: Author
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Sci Fi
Review Date: July 5, 2013
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: It's the first day of school at prestigious Solstice High. Seniors Matt, Rochelle, Daphne and Jonas each have a big surprise waiting for them. When the four friends undergo a freak accident, they begin to develop superhuman abilities and come to realize that all is not as it seems within the bleak walls of their high school. While dealing with the day-to-day challenges of being teenagers, they must also confront their sinister principal, Mr. Devlin, who seems to have more than just education on his agenda.


Disclaimer: I received this book as a ebook courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review.


First let me say it was refreshing to read a YA book actually written by a young age author,  At the time this book was written Ardash was actually in the YA age. Solstice High was a fast read with likable characters.I liked that there were four leads instead of just the usual two. Two girls and two boys.  The story was told from each of their POVs by chapter. With four narrators that can be risky, thankfully all of their voices are distinct. You can tell whose narrating even without their names being posted at the top of each chapter (unlike another book I read recently). 

This novel is a mix of teenage drama and fantasy, sprinkled with a healthy dose of pop culture.  You can really tell what decade these kids are from. That's not bad, but it was interesting to see references to Mean Girls, True Blood, Gilmore Girls and other pop culture things.

Let me do a quick run down of the characters for you.  Matt has been picked on and made fun all thought school He is coming to terms with being gay and has a crush on the captain of the swim team, Julian.  Rochelle is the self proclaimed "Queen Bee" and seems a bit temperamental to say the least.  Daphne has a dysfunctional and delusional family home life.  Jonas is a jock who is in love with Rochelle. Who is left alone for long periods of time, so it seems he's a bit of a loner.  Together, they are an odd bunch, but they work.

Teens with super powers, what's not to like? This book was a nice surprise and I perfect for your summer reading list.

Author Feature | Q&A with Ardash Vartparonian

Meet author Ardash Vartparonian! 

Find Ardash on: Goodreads | Google+ | Facebook | Website/Blog

Below is my spin on a typical Q&A. Just having fun getting to know the author behind the book!  Thank you Ardash for taking the time to answer them!
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Giveaway

Shelf Addiction Giveaway TERMS & CONDITIONS
-You MUST be at least 16 years old to enter. 
-This giveaway is International.
-The winner will be notified via the email address provided on the Rafflecopter. 
-All entries will be verified. 
-The winner will have 2 business days to claim the prize or another winner will be chosen.
DISCLOSURE : This giveaway is sponsored by the author.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
13 Comments
Francine Soleil link
7/5/2013 12:41:24 am

he's so handsome~ (okay. sorry. *tucks in crazy girly side* haha!) this book seems interesting. I'm very much intrigued on how he wrote it in 4 POVs. Also, I like books that include pop culture I can relate to. I want to know how the odd bunch works out!
i also love the interview. Ardash Vartparonian seems like such an interesting guy. I have a lot of similarities with his interests, and I'd love to read a published book written by a young person~
To answer the question for the giveaway, I think Ned Vizzini also wrote a book in his teenage years. :)

Reply
Aly P
7/5/2013 02:33:04 am

So interesting! I will definitely recommend it to my cousin[he is into YA]

Reply
holdenj
7/5/2013 05:54:27 am

Other than reading Eragon quite a while back, and learning Christopher Paolini was just a YA person himself is the only one that comes to mind. I enjoyed Ardahs's interview and look forward to reading about Solstice High myself! Thanks for the chance to win.

Reply
Rachel link
7/5/2013 11:40:16 am

This whole week has been a blast so far! The interview was fantastic and I cannot wait to get this book off my TBR list. Thanks for the chance to win!

Reply
AlyssaZ link
7/5/2013 12:46:49 pm

I think this is just the type of book I was looking for but didn't know it!
I loved the interview as well.......he seems so....normal. I love it!

Reply
Francine Soleil link
7/5/2013 04:06:50 pm

Either there was a technical problem or I cannot seem to be able to post comments here. :(

Reply
Francine Soleil link
7/5/2013 04:13:15 pm

he's so handsome~ (sorry. *tucks in crazy girly side*) I like your review. It's short, but it got me interested. :D I'm very much intrigued on how he made the 4 POVs work. I also like books that include pop culture that I can relate to. And I'd love to meet those characters. I added this on my TBR list. :D
I like your interview too. I think the author is very interesting, and we have a lot in common. It's pretty cool to get published at such a young age. He seems fun too. I hope that shows in the book. :)
To answer your question about other Young YA authors. I think Ned Vizzini started out as one. :D

Reply
Teddy Rose link
7/5/2013 05:01:48 pm

Thanks for taking part in the tour and hosting Ardash! I'm glad you enjoyed Solstice High so much.

Reply
Angelica @ Paperback Princess link
7/5/2013 05:18:28 pm

I don't think I've read a ya book written by a young adult. However I had read somewhere that Isobelle Carmody wrote Obernewtyn when she was still in high school I'm unsure if this is correct though.

Thanks for the giveaway! This sounds like a great book.

Reply
Marie
7/5/2013 07:02:14 pm

Actually, when I was younger I read the first 4 books of the Den of Shadows series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, starting with In The Forests of the Night. She was only 13 when she wrote the first one and 15 when she wrote the second, Demon in my View. I really enjoyed them :)

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7/21/2022 08:18:55 am

Thank you for writing thiss

Reply



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