Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway!! Forty Days by Stephanie Parent

Welcome to my stop on the Forty Days blog tour hosted by YA Bound.  

Click HERE to follow the blog tour!

Rating: ★★★★
Series: Neima's Ark #1
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic
Format: E-Book 
Publication Date: February 10, 2013
Copy Provided By: Author

 

The entire village knows Neima’s grandfather is a madman. For years the old man has prophesied that a great flood is coming, a flood disastrous enough to blot out the entire earth. He’s even built an enormous ark that he claims will allow his family to survive the deluge. But no one believes the ravings of a lunatic…

…until the rain starts. And doesn’t stop. Soon sixteen-year-old Neima finds her entire world transformed, her life and those of the people she loves in peril. Trapped on the ark with her grandfather Noah, the rest of her family, and a noisy, filthy, and hungry assortment of wild animals, will Neima find a way to survive?

With lions, tigers, and bears oh my, elephants and flamingos too, along with rivalries and betrayals, a mysterious stowaway, and perhaps even an unexpected romance, FORTY DAYS is not your grandfather’s Noah’s Ark story.

 Readers looking for a traditional, religiously oriented version of the Noah’s Ark story should be warned that FORTY DAYS may not appeal to them. The novel will, however, appeal to lovers of apocalyptic fiction, historical fiction, and romance, as well as anyone who’s ever dreamed of having a baby elephant as a pet.

Buy It Now: 

Forty Days is on sale this week only for only $.99!

 

Review: Forty Days as the title/cover suggests is a play on the Biblical tale of Noah's Ark except with a decidedly Young Adult twist! I admit, I was a bit hesitant concerning this book. I didn't want to be preached at and I certainly didn't want my characters ie Women to be like those in the biblical version. Thankfully, this was not the case! To my pleasant surprise Stephanie Parent made this story completely her own and I for one couldn't be happier about that. One of the things I really enjoyed about Forty Days was the world building. The story starts with the Ark nearing completion. Through the character Neima we learn about the Arks origins, her family, the town and the daily lives of its people. The pacing of the story was quick but I never felt inundated with information. It was direct, to the point and best of all beautifully written. Which of course brings me to my second favorite thing about this book, the writing! This is my first Stephanie Parent book and I am impressed. Her writing has a very lyrical quality about it and it flowed smoothly over the pages. The imagery was so detailed I felt that if I leaned in close enough to my Kindle and sniffed I'd actually be able to smell the parched earth, the newly cut wood or the rain as it fell from the sky in an endless torrent. Lastly, I love how Stephanie Parent conveyed that while Noah's family supported him and his building of the Ark, they didn't actually believe he was sane or even that a God existed. It was refreshing to see that even Noah's family being "chosen" still had doubts. It also made a scene later on gut wrenching to see and brought back many feelings of anger about this tale that I've harbored since my youth. Now while I did really love the book with its fantastic writing and world building, I did take some small issues with the characters mainly Neima. I understand that Forty Days is set in a time where women aren't exactly treated as equals however... If someone has tried to molest you not just once but twice against your will surely you would speak up and tell a family member. Especially considering how important it was during those times to remain pure before marriage. I could forgive her refusal the first time it happened but the second time she should of spoken up. What the heck would she do if he succeeded and heaven forbid became pregnant? Virgin birth's already been done, can't use that excuse. This just really bugged me and made Neima seem weak. I also would of liked to have seen more perspective from those outside the ship as the floodwater started to rise. We do get a small glimpse teaser of the carnage but nowhere near enough for my liking. Overall, I really enjoyed Forty Days. The fabulous writing, striking visuals and the super adorable elephants Enise and Bilal definitely will have me coming back for more. I highly recommend picking Forty Days up and giving it a go. In the end, I will be rating Forty Days by Stephanie Parent ★★★★.

Author Bio & Links

Stephanie Parent is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts as a piano major. She moved to Los Angeles because of Francesca Lia Block's WEETZIE BAT books, which might give you some idea of how much books mean to her. She also loves dogs, books about dogs, and sugary coffee drinks both hot and cold.

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***GIVEAWAY***

(1) e-book of Forty Days and $10 gift card to Amazon (INT)

(3) e-book copies of Forty Days (INT)

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