Phoebe Pope And The Year Of Four Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Phoebe Pope has enrolled at the Campus Below: a spy academy for shape-shifters hidden deep beneath the grounds of a boarding school whose humans unknowingly protect it. There, thanks to a carefully planned schedule, she leads a double life: spy trainee Below and normal teenager Above.

As if two course loads, concealing a secret power she alone wields, and coping with her father’s recent death weren’t enough, Phoebe finds herself developing major feelings for actor and teen heartthrob Colten Chase, who attends the Campus Above and appears to be majoring in winning Phoebe’s heart. But when officials learn that Phoebe may be at the center of a startling prophecy, she becomes the target of shape-shifting assassins who will stop at nothing to suppress the truth.

Now Phoebe’s lessons about Shaper’s enemies and spycraft take on great importance as a menace stalks the campus, with Phoebe as its target. Meanwhile, what began as an unlikely relationship with Colten, quickly morphs into heartache when she suspects that something sinister lurks beneath this movie star’s glitter and fame. Suddenly, Phoebe’s caught in a mesh of lies, betrayals, and danger where she doesn’t know who to trust, and needs to rely on herself—and her secret power—to get to the truth and to stay alive.

My Review:

    Frankly, the premise of this book gave the impression that this book was yet another paranormal story with just the same outline but with shape-shifters instead. However, it turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. And although I'm not a huge fan of shape-shifters, the world-building of this book was interesting, aside from the fact that the bad party in this book was some type of paranormal shape-shifter tigers - the Vigos - which was a bit eerie but went with the whole theme of shape-shifting perfectly.

    So the story follows Phoebe Pope, a shape-shifter and a girl whom lost her only parent, her father, in a recent accident caused by the Vigos - the shape-shifters enemies. Phoebe then enrolls at a spy academy for shape-shifters, following her father's footsteps or prehaps seeking revenge for his death.

   One thing that I really liked about this book was the characters. The characters were authentic and the interactions between them were nicely handled. Phoebe - the protagonist - developed pretty well as the story unfolded. She was kind, down-to-earth and I ended up loving her, as well as Colten - the male lead - whom was also a sweetheart.

   At first, the idea of a celebrity with signs shown that he and the protagonist, Phoebe are going to fall in love sounded so cheesy but the author transformed this cheesy concept into a paranormal happening within the story and as the story continues, not only won't you notice it but you are going to enjoy it. But the romance between Phoebe and Colten was actually SO cute! Although the attraction was instant, it grows - as the events of the story unfolds  - into a more genuine and interesting relationship that I personally enjoyed.

   Moreover, the author's writing style also helped a lot. The book was smoothly written and although it was written from a third point of view - which was slightly annoying -  the author was able to brilliantly added some twists and turns that greatly served the story. And I'll be sure to read the next book whenever it's out.

   Overall, this book left me with a smile on my face. Although the story had it's flaws and some cliched parts, it was a page-turner and an energetic eventful story that kept me entertained until the end. So if you are new to reading paranormal stories, I'm sure this book will be of great interest to you and even if you are used to reading a lot of fantasies - like me - I'm sure as well that you'll find this book enjoyable enough ;) Keep in mind though that there was a considerable amount of focus on the romance in this book which personally, wasn't a problem for me but rather an enjoyable addition. 

Title: Phoebe Pope And The Year Of Four

Author: Nya Jade 

Series: Shapers #1

Source: Review Copy from Blog Tour

Release Date: October 30th 2012 by Dreamwell Publishing
Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Rating: 4/5

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Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Nya Jade is a singer-songwriter and author based in San Francisco. Her music videos have aired on the VH1, BET, and MTV networks. USA Today hailed Nya as a “young female troubadour worth keeping your eyes and ears on,” in an entertainment feature on up-and-coming singer-songwriters. “Her cool singing voice recalls Sade,” said the LA Times.

Between writing and performing new music, Nya took a musical sabbatical to focus on writing a novel—an endeavor she found quite daunting, until she began looking at each chapter as a verse in a very long song. Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four is her first novel.

In her free time, Nya enjoys hanging out with family and friends, searching for amazing gluten-free desserts, and bargain hunting for her next pair of funky shoes.Nya holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.A. in Sociology, both from Stanford University.

Author's Links:

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Happy Reading!
xoxo, Mariam