***The Starry-Eyed Revue***: fury

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The PLL Team is joining up with the preferred bloggers and getting ready for the September 3rd release of the final installment in the Fury series from Elizabeth Miles, Eternity, by hosting an awesome blog tour with the author. The theme is Forgiveness or Fury. Each day the hosting blogger will pose a scenario to Elizabeth, who will decide how she would respond: with forgiveness and mercy…or with fury and vengeance? She will also be recommending YA books that specifically relate to the scenarios she discusses, so keep an eye out for some other good reads!

Without further ado, here's Elizabeth....

Thank you for hosting me as part of the FORGIVENESS or FURY Blog Tour! I’m thrilled about the release of my third novel, ETERNITY, the final chapter of the FURY SERIES. At each tour stop, I’ll be offering advice to teens on how to handle difficult situations (some of which come from the Fury trilogy itself), and I’ll recommend either forgiveness…or fury. I’ll also suggest a few of my favorite YA titles that tackle these difficult scenarios.

Today’s question is: My friend stole from a store but tried to pin it on me. Should I choose Forgiveness or Fury?

My advice: She stole a pricey lacy tank top -- not even in your size! -- and when her mom asked her about it, she said YOU took it from the boutique downtown. Her mom told your mom, and the rest is...you're grounded. Ugh. Totally unfair, but I'd advocate forgiveness in this case, as well as an open, honest conversation about what's going on with your friend. You never know what circumstances lead friends to make bad choices, but oftentimes what seems like a malicious action is actually a sign of a deeper issue. Ask her if everything's okay. (And tell her you won't serve as her scapegoat ever again.)

Great YA pick about a similar situation: Trinkets by Kirsten Smith
When I heard that the co-writer of She’s the Man and 10 Thing I Hate About You had written a YA novel, I knew I had to get my hands on it immediately. I wasn’t disappointed! This hilarious novel is about three girls who meet in a Shoplifter’s Anonymous meeting and take a detour on their road to recovery, learning that sometimes the things you steal aren’t as valuable as the ones you can get for free, if you work hard enough.

About the author:

Elizabeth Miles grew up in Chappaqua, New York, not far from New York City. She graduated cum laude from Boston University in 2004, worked for several years at the Boston Phoenix, and now writes for the Portland Phoenix, an alternative weekly newspaper. She has won several awards from the New England Press Association and was nominated for an Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Award. Elizabeth serves on the board of trustees of Portland Players, a community theater and second home. She loves pizza; she can often be found running around on stage while scantily clad; and a cold winter night in Maine is one of the creepiest and most beautiful things she can think of. Eternity is her third novel.

Find Elizabeth:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

And here's a little about this final book in the Fury series:

Title: Eternity
Author: Elizabeth Miles
Series: The Fury Trilogy, book #3
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: September 3, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Secrets and revenge make for desperate measures and fateful choices in this gripping conclusion to the Fury trilogy.

The weather is mild in Ascension…but beneath the surface, everything is burning up.

The nightmare Emily Winters has been living through for months shows no sign of ending, as the Furies stay on the peripheral, slowly driving her crazy. Em feels...different. She’s angry, and never cold, and too strong. It’s only a matter of time before she turns into the thing she hates the most. Em needs to take her fate into her own hands, but without Drea’s help, or anyone to turn to, Em is quickly running out of options.

Crow’s involvement with Em has grown more complicated. His visions are taking shape—and it doesn’t look good for Em. But Crow has a plan, and he will do anything to save her. Anything.

JD misses the Em he used to know...and love. She doesn’t seem like herself; it’s like she’s hiding something. When JD begins to learn the truth, he is as scared as he is determined to help her. And Em’s survival may be dependent on his actions.

The Furies love to play games, but this time they’re deadly serious…and they hate to lose.

Tour Schedule:

8/26: Boekie's Book Reviews

8/27: Read My Breath Away

8/28: The Starry-Eyed Revue

8/29: Chick Loves Lit

8/30: Reading Lark

9/2: PLL’s blog!

How would you have handled that situation? Have you read or do you plan to read the Fury series? I read the first book, but I haven't managed to get back to the series yet, though I am fascinated by The Furies.

Thanks for stopping by & happy reading!

Labels: blog tour, elizabeth miles, fury, mythology, paper lantern lit, simon schuster

Title: Fury
Author: Elizabeth Miles
Series: Fury
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: August 30, 2011
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Rating:

From Goodreads:

Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen.

Review:

*ARC provided courtesy of Good Choice Reading.*

I have always loved the idea of the Furies, the Fates, the Erinyes…whatever you want to call them. I just never expected them to be so hell-bent on death as punishment, at least not in this day and age. I thought it was more of ‘eye for an eye’ and all that. Not so in this novel.

I had a hard time sympathizing with any of the characters in this book. None of them seemed to have any redeeming qualities. But at the same time, they were very genuine. They were the kids in school that you didn’t know or befriend but that everyone “knew”. They all committed unscrupulous and tawdry acts and rarely gave them a second thought. That is, until the Furies forced them to do so.

When I read the synopsis for this book, I erroneously assumed that the story would focus on Emily (Em) and Chase as a couple, but it was so much more complicated than that. I think some people might be put off by the behavior of the characters in this novel, but I found that it was really relatable, at least when I think back to my own time spent in high school. It didn’t seem at all far-fetched--aside from the fact that the Furies seemed to be calling the shots on a higher level. It just appeared to be teenagers getting caught up in circumstances that they should morally be above.

I didn’t feel connected to this novel in the way that I normally do, but that’s not to say that I didn’t get where the writing was coming from. Sure, there were too many pop-culture references, something I’ve really started to notice in YA novels since attempting to start the House of Night series, but it wasn’t so awful in this book that I couldn’t get past it.

The story was honest, gritty, and not at all what I expected. It definitely set the stage for more action/judgement from the Furies, and I can’t wait to see how it all pans out.

Next up for review: