This is my stop during the blog tour for On by K.V. Flynn. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 1 till 14 October, you can view the complete tour schedule here.
On the Move (On the Move #1)by K.V. Flynn
Genre: Boys' action-adventure/ dystopia
Age category: Older Middle Grade/ young Young Adult
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Blurb:
Callum Vicente and his four best middle school buddies live in a Southern California beach town, and narrowly miss being grounded for life after they sneak out of town on the bus for a great skateboard day just before promotion from 8th grade. Their pal Justice ends up with a wicked broken leg, but their parents soon forget about it because weird, tense things are happening in the news. So Callum, Levi and his bff Apollo are soon deep into their best summer ever at PEAK skateboard camp where they learn tricks from the pros, grind on endless street courses, and careen off one awesome ramp straight into the lake. It is mad fun until the War breaks out: the teens watch major cities blown up on TV, have no idea what’s happened to their parents, and then lose virtually all communication with the outside world.
Stranded, the boarder buddies strike out on their own to find their families, travelling north through all of California and Oregon, following a network of underground message boards and savvy riders who they find holed up in skate parks along the way. They pick up their school buddy Mateo Beltran and hitch a ride with their Native friend Obbie, on his way to safety on his dad’s reservation in Washington state, and even get some surprising help as they try to figure out a world gone crazy while they are On the Move.
You can find On the Move on Goodreads
Purchase Links:
- Amazon US: http://goo.gl/W0A2Zg
- Kobo: http://goo.gl/xtE0MN
- iTunes: http://goo.gl/nt6U03
- Smashwords: http://goo.gl/1JEFYx
- Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/qq98TV
- Amazon Australia: http://goo.gl/fmwcdP
- Amazon Germany: http://goo.gl/MRybDI
-Amazon Canada http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00O5SD6V8
Note about the book from the author:
This is older MG/young YA, targeted at 10-15-year-olds. It’s action adventure with boys as the main story focus—I think that there are never enough books for and about boys in this reading level. ON THE MOVE really lives inside the world of skateboarding and boys’ friendships. Also, this is about a totally multi-cultural group of buddies: Obbie is Native American, Mateo’s Mexican, their camp friend Martin is African-American, and narrator Callum is half Spanish. And, because these guys experience a huge War, they also pick up on a cool underground network of retro tech, green living, secret clues, and skater support like no other you’ve read about before.
Like all the great teen adventures—think Maximum Ride, Pendragon, Ender’s Game, Demonata and Cirque du Freak—the boys in this book are strong, smart, funny, resourceful, and tight. Also, unlike many YA books, the boys experience a very real, world-changing event that challenges what they know and where they’ll go. But their skills, their brains, and their love of skateboarding guide them through the chaos and complications—plus, most of the time, they have a blast doing it!
I would like to thank the author for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Doing so does not sway my review in any way.
This has to be one of my harder reviews to write in a long time. I want to give the book 3 stars, but that would be a disservice not only to the author, but to the intended audience. I am not the audience this book is for, so I had to sit back, mull it over and after thinking about the teen boys and girls who will be reading this book, I find that the author has really nailed it on the head.
This book is considered dystopia, but honestly, it's more about the hardcore teen skaters, their love for the sport, the search for the perfect park and how family is more than blood alone. Yes, there is a catastrophic event, which unfortunately the author builds up but that story itself falls flat. Get over that part and the reader will see the Ollie's, the half-pipes,etc and feel the camaraderie of the skaters.
The author places popular songs, movies and other pop culture items in this book and they fit perfectly in their place. Readers years from now will not be lost on references, because the author picked classics that flow over generations and feel just as special with the next. Any reader, no matter if you are in the skate culture or not, will be able to follow along.
Back to the dystopia story-line. This is where the book itself is weak. There is no real who, what, where or why covered. There are some areas put in context, but not to the depth that there should be. Also, the fact that these group got from point A to wherever their point B is without much interference from other individuals is a bit of a stretch. The group detailed hardly ever sees other people unless it's at the skate refuges and unless there was a huge nuclear disaster, they would have had to deal with a whole lot more people on the road and in the towns. Also, the end wraps up way to happily for all. Maybe the author didn't want to scare his readers, but there was a lack of believability to the book throughout the entirety of it.
I recommend this book to any teen looking for an action-adventure read. They can be skaters themselves or just have an interest in the subject. The book is told from a single POV, but the author provides enough insight to the other characters that it almost feels like multiple POV's at times. This book is for teens of any genre, cultural background and economic background. There's no romance, no sex, nothing that gets in the way of the ultimate theme that friends have each others backs through the good and the bad times.
About the Author:
K.V. Flynn is a writer who lives in Southern California, kind of near Manhattan-Huntington-Malibu Beach. His action-adventure book ON THE MOVE about 14-year-old skater friends who are stranded at skate camp when a War breaks out, comes out on Sept.2. Follow the news about it at www.OnTheMoveBooks.com. His favorite ride is an 8.25" Krooked deck, Independent trucks, and 53 mm Spitfire wheels. He is half Spanish and half Irish. K.V. has a dog, and has been watching "Pretty Sweet" by Chocolate Skateboards, "Stay Gold" by Emerica, and "The Deathwish Video" by Deathwish Skateboards. What about you!? He and his bros regularly cruise Venice, Stoner, Skatelab, and Van’s. Talk back: KVFlynnOntheMove@gmail.com.
You can find and contact K.V. Flynn here:
- Website
- Goodreads
- Tumblr
- Google +
a Rafflecopter giveaway
No comments:
Post a Comment