Title: Under Different Stars (Kricket #1)
Author: Amy A. Bartol
Genre: YA Dystopian
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18845233-under-different-stars?from_search=true
Synopsis
All she wants is a home, but can she find one…UNDER DIFFERENT STARS
Kricket Hollowell is normally not one to wish upon stars; she believes they’re rarely in her favor. Well versed at dodging caseworkers from Chicago’s foster care system, the past few years on her own have made Kricket an expert at the art of survival and blending in. With her 18th birthday fast approaching, she dreams of the day when she can stop running and find what her heart needs most: a home.
Trey Allairis hates Earth and doubts that anyone from his world can thrive here. What he’s learning of Kricket and her existence away from her true home only confirms his theory. But, when he and Kricket lie together under the stars of Ethar, counting them all may be easier than letting her go.
Kyon Ensin’s secrets number the stars; he knows more about Kricket’s gifts than anyone and plans to possess her because of them. He also knows she’s more valuable than any fire in the night sky. He’ll move the heavens and align them all in order to make her his own.
When everything in their world can be broken, will Kricket rely upon love to save her under different stars?
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Excerpt:
Water swirls around me as I open my eyes. I shiver,
realizing I’m in Trey’s arms. He’s standing chest deep in crystal blue water
with Wayra pacing on the bank only steps away. Clutching Trey closer to me, my
cheek remains on his shoulder. Watching a bead of water slip down his powerful
neck, I hear Jax say, “She’s waking up.”
Trey, cupping his hand in the water, pours some of it over
my hair. It drips down the sides of my face, cooling me. “Let’s get her out.
I’ll get the visor and we can check her vitals.”
As Trey wades out of the pond with me in his arms, I try to
lift my head from his shoulder. It makes me dizzy so I lay it back. It’s then I
notice that I’m only in my bra and underwear. A blush creeps into my cheeks as
I hug Trey tighter to me. Wayra meets us on the bank, draping a blanket over
us. Trey sits down with me on his lap. He leans against a tree trunk holding me
securely to his chest. Peeking at his face, he seems angry as he smoothes my
hair back from my face.
Hurrying over with the visor that looks like grandma
goggles, Trey sets them on my eyes. Everything is green as I gaze around at the
water in front of us. Flashing green lights and readouts occupy the peripherals
of the glasses, but the information is running faster than I can possibly read
it.
“Ho!” Jax exclaims next to me.
Immediately, Trey’s arms tighten on me as he barks out,
“What? How bad is it?”
“Naw, it’s not bad…it’s just…Kricket…” Jax breathes, like
he’s in awe. “Look at this brain activity…it’s massive.”
“What do you mean?” Trey asks with relief in his tone.
Jax grins. “She’s lighting everything up. Look at her
frontal lobe…it’s off the charts.”
“What does that mean? Is she healthy?” Trey growls.
Jax nods enthusiastically. “She’s healthy! We didn’t fry her
with heat stroke, that’s for sure. Or, if we did, she’s got more brain activity
than anyone I’ve ever seen to compensate for it,” he replies, sounding
seriously geeked about it.
“Those things aren’t broken, are they?” Trey asks
speculatively.
“No…here.” Jax pulls them off my face. “Wayra, come here.”
Wayra walks over and Jax puts the glasses on his eyes. “See!
He’s normal, well, normal for him. See how it doesn’t light up in these areas?”
he points out to Trey.
“Yes.”
“Now watch this,” he says, taking the glasses off of Wayra,
he places them back on my face. “See? It’s like Christmas in Chicago with all
those lights,” Jax says proudly.
“So that means she’s smart?”
Jax beams. “Yeah, she’s smart! She’s brilliant! There’s no
telling what she can do.”
“If she’s so smart, why did she run until she almost popped?
Why didn’t she just tell us she needed to rest?” Wayra asks derisively.
“Personality flaw,” Trey replies. “She’s going to show us
that she’s not weak.”
“She’s sitting right here,” I murmur, pulling the glasses
off my face and handing them to Jax
.
Author Bio
I live in Michigan with my husband and our two sons. My
family is very supportive of my writing. When I’m writing, they often bring me
the take-out menu so that I can call and order them dinner. They listen
patiently when I talk about my characters like they’re real. They rarely roll their eyes when I tell
them I’ll only be a second while I finish writing a chapter…and then they take
off their coats. They ask me how the story is going when I surface after living
for hours in a world of my own making. They have learned to accept my “writing
uniform” consisting of a slightly unflattering pink fleece jacket, t-shirt, and
black yoga pants. And they smile at my nerdy bookishness whenever I try to
explain urban fantasy to them. In short, they get me, so they are perfect and I
am blessed.
BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY (OPEN INTERNATIONALLY):
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1st place: KINDLE FIRE + ebook of Under Different Stars
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2nd place: Kindle Cover + $50 Amazon Gift Card
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3rd place: $50 Amazon Gift Card
Our 4 Star Review
Kricket has been evading the system for years waiting to age out so she can go to school and make something of her life, and find a home. But as her birthday draws closer strange men come after her. And things get stranger from there as she finds out she is from another dimension and is wanted by different groups for who she is and what she can do. Can she navigate this world on her own or is there anyone she can trust to help her figure things out?
This is a great start to a new series. I loved Kricket's strength and fierce determination to survive. The way she sees every situation for what it really is and doesn't see the world through rose colored glasses helps keep her on her toes. She's not afraid to say what's on her mind and go after what she wants. Trey tried so hard to be tough, but I loved seeing though his exterior to who he really was and how he was willing to do anything to protect his charge.
I enjoyed getting into this new world Amy has created and seeing the many different aspects come together to create an exciting story. My only complaint??? Being a new story I would have liked a bit more explanation of the different terms created for this story, there were some places where things were explained perfectly and others where I was left a bit confused as to what they were talking about. Overall though I understood where the story went and can't wait for more in this series.
