Feral Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Feral by Holly Schindler

Release Date: August 26, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: Edelweiss
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository ● B&N ● iTunes ● Kobo
Goodreads ● Website

The Lovely Bones meets Black Swan in this haunting psychological thriller with twists and turns that will make you question everything you think you know.

It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words continue to haunt Claire Cain months after she barely survived a brutal beating in Chicago. So when her father is offered a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out will offer her a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire feels an overwhelming sense of danger, and her fears are confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it, and vows to learn the truth about what happened. 

But the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to realizing a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley….

Holly Schindler’s gripping story is filled with heart-stopping twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

When I first started Feral, I was so taken with the writing. Schindler’s descriptions, though horrifying, were absolutely beautiful. I was completely enraptured by the book from start to finish. I enjoyed how dark and twisted it was, and the end completely caught me by surprise. I really enjoy books that catch you in the moments right before the person responsible is revealed, so this book had the right amount of shock and suspense, as well as great execution and delivery of story and motive.

I liked Claire’s character– I found it interesting how amidst this larger event (Serena’s death) she has her own personal struggle which definitely plays into the climax of the story. I liked how the two events intertwine and there’s a constant creepy atmosphere whenever it does. Claire is definitely a lot braver than I am or will ever be, and I totally respect that bravado in a character. Her determination to get to the bottom of what actually happened is what really kept me going through the book! Plus, it’s a bonus that a very cute guy called Rich appears throughout the novel.

Like I mentioned before, everything falls into place moments before Claire figures out the whole mystery. Seriously, I think my heart stopped beating for a while. I love shocks and twists, and holy hells, this is a good one. While some reviews complain that everything falls too easily into place, um, NO. I totally did not see this coming and I think the reasons behind certain things are absolutely justifiable and make sense. Very Slaughterhouse-Five, I must say.

Feral was flawless, intriguing and deliciously deadly– I’m completely head over heels in love with this book. Schindler truly is a master of her craft and the sheer power her words carry have left a lasting impression on me. More please!

If you like this, try...

• Find Me by Romily Bernard ● Goodreads
• The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno ● Goodreads
• The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer ● Goodreads

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EXCERPT

Scrambling to free herself, Claire turned to see exactly how badly her feet were tangled in the fallen limb.  But the shattered branch that had just tripped her was a strange shade of blue—purple—gray.  

She was staring at a human hand.

“No—no,” Claire screamed as she attempted to get away from the limb and the dead body, tripping on the hem of her coat in the process.  She stumbled back to the earth, falling on her backpack.

An angry hiss pried Claire’s eyes upward, away from the waxy, blue fingers.

A cat edged forward from its perch on top of the limb that pinned the body; a pair of yellow eyes with black stripes narrowed at Claire; pink fangs flashed.  Nearby, another yellow set of eyes popped from the shadows as a tail curled up onto a black curved back.  More fangs.  More eyes.  More angry, fat tails.

Ferals.

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HOLLY SCHINDLER

Holly Schindler is the author of the critically acclaimed A BLUE SO DARK (Booklist starred review, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year silver medal recipient, IPPY Awards gold medal recipient) as well as PLAYING HURT (both YAs). 

Her debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY also released in ’14, and became a favorite of teachers and librarians, who used the book as a read-aloud. Kirkus Reviews called THE JUNCTION “...a heartwarming and uplifting story...[that] shines...with vibrant themes of community, self-empowerment and artistic vision delivered with a satisfying verve.” Bloggers also quickly fell for the book; Susan at Bloggin’ ‘bout Books said of THE JUNCTION, “Triumphant and compelling, this is one of those books that will make you cheer. And look a little bit closer for the unique beauty in all of us.” 

FERAL is Schindler’s third YA and first mystery / thriller. She encourages readers to get in touch, and can be found at hollyschindler.com, hollyschindler.blogspot.com, @holly_schindler, Facebook.com/HollySchindlerAuthor, and http://hollyschindler.tumblr.com/

Goodreads

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Giveaway time!

Enter to win...

One (1) SIGNED hardcover of Feral!

Open to US/CAN only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Click on the button below or on the tour banner at the top of the post to follow the rest of the tour!

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Thank you so much to FFBC Blog Tours for having me along!