Blog Tour Review: Solstice

Solstice

P.J. Hoover

Series or Stand Alone: Book one in a planned series

Release Date: May 2011

Publisher: Andrea Brown Literacy Agency

Pages: 189 (Smashwords edition)

Author Site: http://www.pjhoover.com/

My Rating: 4/5

Source: Received for blog tour from Pump Up Your Book

Synopsis:

[from goodreads.com]

Where Mythology and Dystopia meet...

Piper’s world is dying. Global warming kills every living thing on Earth, and each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles which threaten to destroy humanity. Amid this Global Heating Crisis, Piper lives with her mother who suffocates her more than the chaotic climate. When her mother is called away to meet the father Piper has been running from her entire life, Piper seizes an opportunity for freedom.

But when Piper discovers a world of mythology she never knew existed, she realizes her world is not the only one in crisis. While Gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper's life spirals into turmoil, and she struggles to find answers to secrets kept from her since birth. And though she’s drawn to her classmate Shayne, he may be more than he claims. Piper has to choose whom she can trust and how she can save the people she loves even if it means the end of everything she’s ever known

Review:

I know dystopian novels are becoming a huge trend in the YA genre. But I don’t think I’ve come across any that interweave mythology into its pages. I’m a big fan of mythology related books and I have tons of dystopian novels on my TBR list so I was immediately interested in reviewing Solstice when I was asked. Solistice is a very unique, entertaining, and well written book that I think will be very successful in the YA world.

Global warming is a very real and scary thing and P.J. does a superb job detailing the effects of the Global Heating Crisis happening in Piper’s world. The heat was beyond oppressive and having something similar happening to the Earth was forefront in my mind at all times. I’m not a big fan of heat. I’m not happy with anything really over 85 degrees. With temperatures never really going below 105 in the novel I could only imagine how horrible it was to live in a world where water and a/c use was monitored and rationed and where cooling gel was sprayed on you every time you went outside. I actually don’t know how I myself would adapt to a world like Piper’s.

The mythology part is more closely entangled with the love triangle within the novel. I did have a hard time at first transitioning between Piper’s world and the Underworld when it was first introduced. My brain didn’t really come to terms with putting the dystopian and mythological parts together cohesively. However, I was quick to become engrossed in each part of the book. The love triangle between Shayne, Piper, and Reese is so much more than a typical love triangle. It isn’t just two boys fighting over a girl. There is a huge power struggle between the two boys and Piper’s feelings towards each are passionate and very intense. I loved that P.J. didn’t tip-toe around Piper and her feelings. She’s torn between Shayne and Reese and as the pieces of her past start to come together she’s left feeling confused, frustrated, and afraid.

I loved the characters and I loved how the dystopian part of the novel tied in so well with the mythological part in the end. Solstice is highly original and a really great read that combins so many great elements together. I think a lot of people are going to really enjoy the book and what it has to offer the YA genre!

P.S. (cover talk)

It’s beautiful. It depicts the global warming aspect while leaving some room for a mysterious feeling that ties in with the Greek mythology of the novel.