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Ice Country by David Estes

Goodreads
348 pages, YA Dystopian
The Country Saga #2
My rating: 5 stars

Fun Fact: In the slang language of Ice Country, Icy means good looking.  So the next time you find an individual that you think is hot, just call them icy!  :)


Synopsis

Dazz, a hard-edged, fun-loving Icer, likes fighting, particularly while at his favorite watering hole. However, while recovering from a particularly bad break up, his decision to engage in a brutal pubroom brawl leads to a series of events that thrust him into a dark and mysterious scandal involving King Goff, the ice country ruler. 

When his sister is abducted in the dark of night, Dazz pledges to do whatever it takes to get her back, embarking on a quest that threatens to rip apart the very fabric that's barely holding his shattered family together. 

Along the way he meets a group of unlikely allies in the form of a travelling group of fire country natives. Can Dazz, when joined with his best friend, Buff, and new tan-skinned friends, defeat the King and his guards before it's too late for his sister?

My 2 cents

Ice Country is the follow up sequel to one of my favorite dystopians ever, Fire Country. I wasn't sure if this one was going to live up to Fire Country. Namely because I loved the world building, the slang, and the MC, Siena so much in that book.

I shouldn't have worried! Ice Country is almost a polar opposite of Fire Country, and I loved it! We still got great world building, more amazing slang (in fact, I think I may have liked Ice Country slang even better!) and another wonderful MC character!

Dazz...oh my word, Dazz...sigh. I don't know exactly what it was about him. He's rash, has a hot temper, and thinks more with his fists than his brain. The total opposite of what I look for in a guy. But I loved it! He made me giggle a LOT. He is also loyal, and actually a big softie when it comes to things like his mother and his little sister. Awww...who can't resist that in a guy! 

Dazz makes some of the dumbest decisions ever, but it sure keeps things interesting! He's lucky that he has a best friend who has more sense in his head, and tries to keep him on the straight and narrow. Not that Buff succeeds in doing it, but he sure tries!

We also get cameos from some of our favorite characters in Fire Country--Siena, Circ, and Skye, along with a few others. This is where the book just took off for me, and had me hooked with every word. I loved getting to see my favorite characters from Fire Country in the world of Ice Country. The relationships between this group of people gave us great moments of laughter, and really raised the stakes. 

And just like in Fire Country, I felt just about every range of emotion. Like I said, there are lots of funny moments, and there are also some horrible heartbreaking ones. I was so sucked into the story that I really felt every single moment along with Dazz. 

Nothing was what I expected, and I really had no idea what was going to happen next. I loved all the twists, and how even though they seemed to come from nowhere, they made perfect sense looking back. I love how so much of the plot and characters of Fire Country are tied into this book. We also get a few sneak peeks of things to come in the third novel!

In the end, the story ties up nicely, but there is still lots of things to come for the next installment! I felt pretty wrung dry from all the emotion, and had to seek out a hug from my hubby! This was an amazing read, and I will be reading Water & Storm Country SOON!

My Fire Country Playlist

So today I am going to share with you my personal playlist for Fire Country!  I have some pretty diverse selections here, I really didn't stick to a particular genre theme.  I was more concerned with the lyrics.  Just beware, I will be describing my choices and there may be some spoilers involved!  Enjoy!

My Playlist




The Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti & Spearhead  This is a pretty jaunty song for a pretty dark world.  I picked it because it makes me think of Siena and Circ and their friendship at the beginning.  Circ is really Siena's only brightness in her world.  A lot of the lyrics make me think of Fire Country as well.
Stand by Rascal Flatts   I thought of this song for the scene were Circ and Siena are being bullied and tormented by Hawk. Again, its a pretty upbeat song--if I fit every song to every mood, this would be a pretty depressing playlist!  But the lyrics are perfect!
Monster by Skillet  Finally a dark song that really represents things!  This is Roan's song.  Enough said.
Roar by Katy Perry I am hooked to this song at the moment.  This made me think of the Tug hunt.  Specifically in how Siena's feeling when she sees Circ in danger.  It also makes me think of Lara, who probably is more like the voice in the song. They are both extremely brave in this scene!
Slow and Steady by Of Monsters And Men This one is for Siena and Circ, and how their relationship slowly evolves.  They can't be together, but that doesn't seem to stop them!  Love the feel of this song and the lyrics.
Pacha Nights by Cafe Chilout de Ibiza This one is Perry the Prickler's song!  Don't give me that look, Perry had to have a song! This made me think of him!
Black Balloon by The Goo Goo Dolls  I love the Goo Goo Dolls. This song is the part in the book after Circ dies, and how Siena deals with it.
For Good by the cast of Wicked This is a tribute to the friendship of Siena and Circ, and also a little bit of Siena and her mom.  My favorite song from Wicked!
Now by Paramore I love Paramore!  This song is for a very dark scene when Siena is almost raped and then runs away from her village.  
Try by Pink This song is all about the Wild Ones, and how Siena learns how to fight and basically channel her inner strength.  
This Is War by Thirty Seconds to Mars This song represents the epic battle scene at the end of the novel.
Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts  Can you tell I love Rascal Flatts? Hehe.  This is at the very end, for the reunion between Siena and Circ.  

And that's it!  Leave me any comments if you think of any songs I should add!  I love suggestions!

Fire Country--A Reading Excerpt by the Author!

David Estes is back!    He's here to read us  the first few chapters of Fire Country! Thank you, David!

Fire Country is the first book in the Country Saga series.  Take it away, David!





Check out Fire Country!
Goodreads

And don't forget to grab your FREE copy of Fire Country, the first book in it's sister series!  Check out my Earth Dwellers Book Blast for more info!

And don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY for a chance to win a David Estes ebook!

Fire Country by David Estes

Goodreads
398 pages, YA Dystopian
The Country Saga #1
My Rating: 5 stars

Fun Fact: Prickler Salad and 'Zard Soup are staples of the Fire Country peoples' diets.  Prickler Salad=Cactus Salad   'Zard Soup=Lizard Soup

Synopsis

In a changed world where the sky bleeds red, winter is hotter than hell and full of sandstorms, and summer's even hotter with raging fires that roam the desert-like country, the Heaters manage to survive, barely. 

Due to toxic air, life expectancies are so low the only way the tribe can survive is by forcing women to procreate when they turn sixteen and every three years thereafter. It is their duty as Bearers.

Fifteen-year-old Siena is a Youngling, soon to be a Bearer, when she starts hearing rumors of another tribe of all women, called the Wild Ones. They are known to kidnap Youngling girls before the Call, the ceremony in which Bearers are given a husband with whom to bear children with. 

As the desert sands run out on her life's hourglass, Siena must uncover the truth about the Wild Ones while untangling the web of lies and deceit her father has masterfully spun.

My 2 cents

This seriously is one of the best YA dystopians I have ever read. No lie. I will try to hold myself back from gushing out too much praise, but no promises. I'm afraid this will be a pretty raving review! 

First of all, let's talk a little about Fire Country. Fire Country is a very harsh environment to live in. Life expectancy is somewhere in the 30s, and the heat is unforgiving. Daily life is a struggle. Added to this is the cruel laws of the land. The world building was great in this, I could almost feel the heat, and had no issues imagining any of it in my head. 

The story starts with our MC, Siena, about to turn 16 and basically losing all her freedom. She only wants to be with her best friend, Circ. I LOVED Siena. She is one of my favorite MCs ever! I love her name, and how she seems like she's the runt of the society, but she has a strong mind and personality. I could really relate to Siena, and it was so easy to understand her and her thoughts. Circ was also awesome, and the two made such a great pair in this story. 

Siena's father, Roan, meanwhile is the perfect villian of the story, and I hated him with every fiber of my being. There are a few other villians I also loved to hate, but Roan really takes the cake for despicable creatures. 

The other awesome character in this story was a big fun surprise--a prickler (cactus) named Perry. He's basically alive in Siena's imagination, and helps her through some tight spots. Perry the Prickler made me giggle. And those giggles were needed to balance out the dark turns the story was taking!

There are some horribly bleak and dark moments in this one, and there were several places I was terrified for Siena and was holding my breath. Along with a few tears in certain places. I won't give away any spoilers, but this book made me feel a huge range of emotions. 

And like all David Estes books I've read, I didn't know what to expect! I did not guess most of the twists, although there was one that I saw coming. But I was surprised a lot and I love that!

The best part of the story for me was Siena and her journey. She goes through so much, but she has a lot of spirit. I think this is a great story for teens to read, and they could get a lot out of it. And like I said, this is one of my favorite dystopians now! If you love dystopians, I really recommend this one!

The Moon Dwellers by David Estes--A Reading Excerpt by the Author!

Today I have a fun treat for y'all!  David Estes has provided me a "sneak peek" reading from his book, The Moon Dwellers! Thank you, David for taking time out of your busy travel schedule!   

The Moon Dwellers is the first book in the Dwellers series, and its a wonderful dystopian novel.  Take it away, David!



Check out the Moon Dwellers!
Goodreads
Amazon

And don't forget to grab your FREE copy of Fire Country, the first book in it's sister series!  Check out my Earth Dwellers Book Blast for more info!

And don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY for a chance to win a David Estes ebook!

The Earth Dwellers Blog Blast + Free book code AND giveaway!

 

Your favorite Dwellers and Country Saga characters come together in this epic seventh book!

As President Borg Lecter threatens to annihilate the Country tribes in order to expand his glass-domed empire, Adele ventures into the belly of the beast. Her only hope of survival is the consolidation of Dwellers and Country power before it’s too late. Former demagogue President Nailin is eliminated, yet civil unrest infects every alliance. To save Adele, President Tristan faces his greatest challenge yet: unifying unfriendly Dwellers in the Tri-Realms to raise an army against Lecter. Meanwhile, Dazz must convince the Ice Country leaders to march with Siena and the Tri-Tribes on the gates of the Glass City. The world sits on the edge of a knife. Will Adele, Tristan, Dazz, and Siena defeat Lecter and his army of killers before the Glassies wipe them off the face of the Earth?

See where it all begun with The Moon Dwellers and Fire Country

To celebrate the release of The Earth Dwellers by David Estes, the fourth book in both The Dwellers series and Country Saga, David is giving away UNLIMITED free eCopies of Fire Country, book one in the post apocalyptic, dystopian, Country Saga. A little over a year ago, David published his first young adult dystopian series, The Dwellers, and it has changed his life forever. Since then, he’s gone from struggling Indie author to fulltime writer, he’s watched in amazement as his Goodreads fan group has swelled from 300 members to over 1,600, and growing. He's been featured on Buzzfeed, as one of the '15 Book Series To Read If You Enjoyed The Hunger Games', and has just signed on to Andrea Hurst and Associates literary agency. Andrea will we working with David to expand both the Dwellers and Country Saga, taking David's career to a whole new level.

So before the two series collide in The Earth Dwellers, grab the coupon code below and download your eCopy of Fire Country from Smashwords. Share the code with your family, friends and literary inclined pets. The only thing David asks for in return is that if you enjoy the read and continue on with the series, to please leave a positive review on Amazon.com, Goodreads and blogs for each of his books that you read.

 

Visit: Smashwords

Simply use the coupon code: WM49N and download your FREE eCopy.

Expiration Date: September 15, 2013

 

The Earth Dwellers will cap off an eighteen month journey that has taken me from unknown Indie author to still-mostly-unknown fulltime Indie author. The change is a subtle one for most people, but for me it’s a dream come true. To the hundreds (and now maybe even thousands!) of readers who have come along for the ride with me, either by reading the Dwellers Saga, the Country Saga, or both, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now down to business. There may be some of you who have only read the three books in the Country Saga or only the three books in the Dwellers Saga, and are now thinking you’ll read The Earth Dwellers, which is supposedly the 4th book in BOTH the Country Saga and the Dwellers Saga. Well, that’s awesome! However, I must highly recommend that before reading The Earth Dwellers that you read the three books in BOTH series. Trust me, doing so will greatly enhance your experience, as The Earth Dwellers will be taking significant characters from both series and crashing them together (yes, like a water country wave) into an action-packed tale of struggle and loss and hope and friendship… And maybe a little love, too.

The Country Saga

Fire Country  Ice Country  Water & Storm Country

The Dwellers Series The Moon Dwellers  The Star Dwellers  The Sun Dwellers

 

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David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. He grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife and soul mate, Adele, who he’s now been happily married to for more than two years.

A reader all his life, David began writing novels for the children's and YA markets in 2010, and has completed 13 novels, 11 of which have been published.  In June of 2012, David became a fulltime writer and is now travelling the world with his wife while he writes books, and she writes and takes photographs.

David gleans inspiration from all sorts of crazy places, like watching random people do entertaining things, dreams (which he jots copious notes about immediately after waking up), and even from thin air sometimes! Recently he’s been inspired by some of his favorite authors, like Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, and Maggie Stiefvater.

David’s a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, an obsessive Goodreads group member, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.  He loves responding to e-mails, Facebook messages, Tweets, blog comments, and Goodreads comments from his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends.

Where you can find David Estes hanging out:

David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite

Blog/website Facebook page Goodreads author page Twitter

Other Young Adult Books by David Estes:

The Evolution Trilogy: Angel Evolution   Demon Evolution   Archangel Evolution

Children’s Books by David Estes:

The Nikki Powergloves Adventures: Nikki Powergloves- A Hero is Born    Nikki Powergloves and the Power Council    Nikki Powergloves and the Power Trappers    Nikki Powergloves and the Great Adventure   Nikki Powergloves vs. the Power Outlaws (Coming soon!)