Mundie Moms

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

TITANS by Victoria Scott / Blog Tour: Book Review & Giveaway




Hello and welcome to today's stop in the TITANS blog tour! Victoria's new book is out TODAY!! 

ABOUT THE BOOK


By: Victoria Scott
Published by: Scholastic Press
Released on: February 23rd, 2016
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks 
Add it  Goodreads
Rating: 4 Stars - I Enjoyed It
* I received an arc of this book to review from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review


From Victoria Scott, author of FIRE & FLOOD, comes a thrilling story of impossible odds. 
Ever since the Titans first appeared in her Detroit neighborhood, Astrid Sullivan’s world has revolved around the mechanical horses. She and her best friend have spent countless hours watching them and their jockeys practice on the track. It’s not just the thrill of the race. It’s the engineering of the horses and the way they’re programmed to seem so lifelike. The Titans are everything that fascinates Astrid, and nothing she’ll ever touch.
She hates them a little, too. Her dad lost everything betting on the Titans. And the races are a reminder of the gap between the rich jockeys who can afford the expensive machines to ride, and the working class friends and neighbors of Astrid’s who wager on them.
But when Astrid’s offered a chance to enter an early model Titan in this year’s derby, well, she decides to risk it all. Because for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, it’s more than a chance at fame or money. Betting on herself is the only way she can see to hang on to everyone in the world she cares about.
Victoria Scott has a way of writing books that just grab me and pull me, even if they're not a genre I would normally read. I love the way she tells a story, how she brings her characters to life, the world she sets her stories in, and the range of emotions she makes me feel. Titans was no different. This is a book that will have your adrenaline pumping with the horse races, will melt your heart with the drive and determination Astrid has, and why she wants to race, and it will make you cheer on the wide range of characters who all have little to lose and much to gain in terms of possessions. These are the type of characters who risk it all and have so much more to gain, and in the process end up stealing your heart. Which was the case with Titan.

The characters in this story are great! From the main characters down to the secondary characters. I really enjoyed getting to know them, and the roles they all played in Astrid's life. I love it when an author makes her secondary characters just as crucial as her main characters. That's something I felt like Victoria Scott did with Titans. These characters brought a wide range of emotions to the story. They made me laugh, get a little teary eyed over, and had me cheering them on. I loved the roles they all had in the story. From Astrid, to her best friend Magnolia, to Astrid's family, Padlock the Titan, and Rags, the old grumpy man who sees something in Astrid, and takes a chance on her, and helps her accomplish her goal of racing.


Who knew that falling in love with a robotic horse would be so easy? Aside from Astrid and Magnolia, I absolutely loved Padlock! This horse stole my heart, and made me get teary eyed. I loved the way he and Astrid learned to trust each other. They both learned a lot from each other, and I loved the relationship they had and the bond they formed. It was no different from that of a real life horse. 


I loved the best friend relationship between Astrid and Magnolia. Both girls have a lot they're going through, and dealing with, and both are there to support and encourage each other through it all. I loved their loyalty to each other. I loved that no matter what was going on, they had each other's backs. Their relationship is one that will make you feel more blessed if you have a BFF relationship similar to the one they have, and if you don't, it will make you wish you had your own Magnolia to share the joys, sorrows, and all the in-betweens that life throws at you. 


The thing I loved the most about this story is the message of Girl Power! Girls can do anything they put their mind to. They may have to work twice as hard at something, like Astrid does, but they can do it if they have the will and drive to do so. That's something Astrid doesn't lack. This is one determined girl, and I admired that strength she has. Astrid defies the odds, and proves that just because she's a girl, doesn't mean she doesn't have what it takes to be in the races with her Titan. I love that she uses that to drive her, and prove those wrong who looked down on her and her Titan, Padlock. Above all, I love that Astrid learned to rely on herself. 


Overall this is a book I enjoyed! If you're looking for a read that has some great characters, horse racing, and fabulous character relationships, I would recommend picking this one up! 



ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Victoria Scott is a teen fiction writer represented by Sara Crowe of the Harvey-Klinger Literary Agency. She’s the author of the FIRE & FLOOD series, and TITANS published by Scholastic, and the DANTE WALKER trilogy published by Entangled Teen. Her books have been bought and translated in eleven foreign markets including the UK, Turkey, China, Poland, Israel, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Taiwan, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.

Victoria lives in Dallas with her husband and hearts cotton candy something fierce.
Find Victoria: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook |Instagram | Goodreads

ENTER TO WIN

3 will receive finished copies of TITANS, US Only.

FOLLOW THE TOUR



2/15/2016- Lost in Literature- Interview
2/16/2016- Paranormal Book ClubReview
2/17/2016- Two Chicks on BooksExcerpt
2/18/2016- Stuck in Books- Review
2/19/2016- FangirlishGuest Post
2/22/2016- Seeing Night ReviewsReview
2/23/2016- Mundie MomsReview
2/24/2016- The Book CellarExcerpt
2/25/2016- Krista's Dust JacketReview
2/26/2016- Addicted to Happily Ever AfterReview

Ten Books We Recently Enjoyed / Top Ten Tuesday #52


Hello & welcome to this week's Top Ten Tuesday! This week's topic is Ten Books We Recently Enjoyed That Weren't Out Typical Genre. My previous Top Ten Tuesday post was, Valentine's Day Freebie.



I really haven't read anything out of my typical genre lately, so I'm mixing things up a bit and sharing my list of the top ten books I've recently read and really enjoyed. These are titles that have been reviewed here on Mundie Moms prior to this post being made. In no particular order, they are:


  1. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
  2. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
  3. A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  4. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
  5. Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes
  6. Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman
  7. Night Study by Maria V. Snyder
  8. Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell
  9. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
  10. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard 
  11. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
  12. Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan
What are some books you've recently read and really enjoyed? 

Out Today - Tuesday February 23rd, 2016 YA Releases




Happy Book Birthday to these new YA releases! You can now find these titles on the shelves of your favorite bookstore. 

Which new releases will you be picking up today?

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