Blog Tour Stop : Gravity by Melissa West

The Gravity Blog Tour Is Organized by Shane @ Itching for Books.

Hello book lovers!

Welcome the Gravity blog tour stop! I'm so excited to be part of this blog tour since I've been pining for this book since forever! I finally got a chance to read it and it's fabulous!
As part of the blog tour, I will be sharing with you lovely people my review and a fabulous excerpt. If you're a US citizen, scroll down to sign up to win a signed copy of Gravity and some awesome swag!

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Gravity (The Taking #1)
Author : Melissa West
Publisher : Entangled Teen
Publication Date : October 30th 2012
Goodreads - The Book Depository

In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

Personal Thoughts

Melissa West's Gravity wasn't a book that immediately sucked me in. Instead, it was one of those books that slowly started to grow on me to the point where it became so addictive that I could not stop reading. With it's interesting and complex premise, Gravity completely swept me away.

Gravity begins with a confusing scene involving Ari, the protagonist searching for her patch in bed, when suddenly she finds Jackson, one of the most popular boys in her school floating over her. Realizing that she has broken a critical rule of her dystopian society, Ari expects to be punished by Jackson. Except, he only wants her help or else mankind could become extinct. Soon after, Ari goes on a journey, sharing information with Jackson and falling for him, all the while betraying her country.

A kick-ass heroine. That's what Ari was. The girl knew how to not only put up a fight, but she was also very courageous in the emotional sense. It takes guts to betray ones country and Ari definitely had guts. In a way, she reminded me a lot of Tris from Divergent for some reason. Maybe because they are both are these characters who seem quiet on the outside, but possess incredible resilience on the inside. I think what I liked most with Ari was her constant need to protect the people of her world. She was this self-less, caring kind of character who was willing to do anything to save those in danger, even when she didn't know them. Because of that, she made it easy to like her and identify with her personality. Her life was definitely not easy. Everything was planned out for her. Like her father, she would become a Commander, and to top it all off, her parents had already decided who she would eventually marry. All of this made me sympathize with her. I can't imagine how smothered she must have felt. Despite all the wrong things in her life, Ari wasn't one to complain. Ever. Jackson wasn't a character that I immediately warmed up to. To be honest, even by the end of the story, I felt like I hadn't gotten to known him properly. In my opinion, there was room for development when it came to his character. But I did like him. His loyalty, caring attitude and unselfish nature is what slowly made me a fan of his. The secondary characters in Gravity were an interesting set and I'm looking forward to reading more of them in the future novels, especially Zeus, who I have a feeling will become a monumental character in the next installment.

Plot-wise, I will admit that Gravity wasn't easy to get into. Diving into the book, I was confused. What was worse was that I was confused for not one or two chapters, but several chapters. I was actually on the verge of abandoning the book when things got exciting and very intriguing. From that point onwards, Gravity became non-stop entertainment for me, making me put off my homework to finish the book. With its refreshing and unique ideas and exciting action scenes, it was obvious that I wouldn't be able to stop reading. What I loved most about Gravity was the slow but intricate world-building. Melissa West, like my friend Sam at Realm of Fiction mentioned, gradually provided the reader with background information of her world, not throwing it all in your face. In a way, it helped me discover this world bit by bit and I was beyond thrilled when all the confusing bits in the beginning started to fall into pieces for me. Not only was the author's approach to aliens highly original, it was also absolutely enthralling. Although I have no desire to be part of this world, I could feel myself being present in it watching the characters.

However, Gravity wasn't without its faults. One thing that I wasn't a huge fan of was the romance. It felt sort of too rushed in a way and there were several times I had a hard time believing that the characters liked each other. Moreover, they declared their love for each other a little too fast for my liking. But, the romance was easy to dismiss because it was not the kind that dominated half the plot. Instead, it occurred at the same time as the novel's progression. Melissa West's writing took me some time to get used to, but once I was fully immersed in her writing style, I was hooked and I couldn't let go of my Nook.

Despite my slight issues with Gravity, I truly thought that it was a great book and I strongly believe that this is a series that has the possibility to become an incredible one in the future books. If ,like me, you have a hard time getting into the book, I strongly advise you to continue reading it since it really improves as the plot progresses and becomes more clearer. To finish off, all I have to say is that Melissa West's Gravity is definitely a book that I would recommend since it's worth reading.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 4/5

Excerpt

I stop short in front of a group of children, by their faces they look to be about ten, but
they’re tiny, the size of a toddler. They sit on the ground in front of the middle path. The other
two paths aren’t blocked, but Lane said to take the center path. I back up, planning to run and
jump over them, when I hear something. Whispers. They’re whispering to me, beckoning me.
“Follow the light…follow the light…” they repeat over and over.

What light? My eyes dart from path to path and around the large opening. There is
nothing else, only the strange children and me.

Thunder roars in the sky. The children stand and point, their heads tilting back. Black
clouds hover over us, lightning strikes, and the children cry. Their eyes mirror the sky—black,
emotionless. Their faces break into devilish grins while tears pour from their eyes, washing away
the blackness. They shake their heads, as though disoriented, and edge toward me, calling my
name, beckoning me to the light.

I draw a shaky breath. This is just part of the test. I search the composite greenery lining
the walls. Nothing but leaves and sticks. If the first test involved weapons then maybe this one is
resources. Thunder rumbles again. The children’s heads tilt upward. I watch them with curiosity,
pressing myself against the wall to my right. Lightning strikes and their blue and green and
brown eyes all turn black as though a painter colored in the irises. The children weep, and the
black washes away. They chant my name, but this time it’s as if they can’t see me. A second
passes and then they all turn, facing me, begging me to come to them. I study their faces, their
eyes for half a second, putting the pieces together in my mind. Lightning—disoriented. Crying—
clarity. So if I’m right, the lightning somehow blinds them.

I wait for the next rumble and prepare to test my theory. The children huddle together on
the west side of the opening. If I time it exact—and if I’m lucky—when the lightning strikes they
won’t see me slip around them. The thunder dies down. Lightning hits with a deafening crack! I
race around them, dash into the center path, and fall onto my hands and knees. I spin around,
prepared to fight, but the children stare away from me, calling my name, oblivious to anything
but the storm.

 Giveaway

Prize : Signed copy of Gravity and Swag
Open : US ONLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Author Biography 

Melissa lives in a tiny suburb of Atlanta, GA with her husband and daughter. She pretends to like yoga, actually likes shoes, and could not live without coffee. Her writing heroes include greats like Jane Austen and Madeleine L'Engle. 

She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.

Doesn't that excerpt make you curious about the

book ? I was definitely intrigued by that scene! I

hope you guys enjoyed it! Don't forget to let me

know what you think of it!