Tia Silverthorne Bach is on a virtual book tour this month to promote her coming-of-age story, Chasing Memories. I have agreed to review the first chapter of this novel for the tour.
BLURB: There isn’t another way; not now. The others are coming. I can’t let them have you…
Seventeen-year-old Reagan has a problem: She can’t remember what happened the night her brother was taken.
Now, the dreams haunting her from the incident are becoming more intense by the day. All the while, the lines between what’s real and what’s a product of her paranormal-obsessed mind are becoming blurred.
Is she losing her mind or has she just stepped into a world she thought only existed in books?
Caught in a web of worried parents, competing boys, Wiccan relatives, protective amulets, and psychiatrist babble, Reagan must determine the truth before it’s too late.
COVER: Very intriguing. Though based upon the prologue and first chapter I have no idea what the werewolf (maybe) peering through the the bushes has to do with the story line, this is an excellent cover choice for the genre. This will be a dramatic story that involves family, hunting, and the paranormal, so the creepy eyes staring out at the reader catches your attention. All covers should be this good.
FIRST CHAPTER: Reagan is bored by life in Superior, Colorado. Not much happens there and she is forced to deal with a mom who seems like she’s trying to become BFFs with Reagan and her friends, an outdoorsman of a father who has planned a family vacation to Yellowstone where she’ll be stuck camping in a tent and freezing her butt off, and an annoying little brother who she has to drive everywhere.
It’s her senior year in high school and she should be thrilled that her boyfriend Dex is so into her, but she’s not. Like her parents, he seems to run her life. But hopefully things will change when she heads off to college next year.
KEEP READING: If I had to base my opinion solely upon the first chapter, I would probably say no. Reagan comes off as a bit of a whiner and not a tremendous amount happens that compels me to keep going. There’s a party. Stuff happens. Reagan is unhappy about Dex and her parents running her life. But overall, she doesn’t come across as someone I want to get to know.
That all changes, however, when you read the prologue first. The events in the prologue actually occur a week later than what takes place in Chapter One. The family is in Yellowstone when something unexpected and horrible happens. The prologue is so enticing and thrilling that a first chapter filled with everyday happenings in small town America drops the intensity from the top of the mountain to the lowest point in the valley. The shift in pace is felt immediately. My confusion increases when the second chapter brings the reader back to the events from the Yellowstone cliffhanger from the prologue.
I definitely plan to continue, but I hope the pace evens out a bit. I don’t mind peaks and valleys, but I don’t want to feel like I’m riding the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney, dropping thirteen stories each time I switch chapters.
Reviewer’s note: Due to the content of what I’ve read so far, I wouldn’t suggest this book for anyone under the age of 16.
Prices/Formats: $3.99 ebook, $12.99 paperback
Pages: 296
Publisher: self-published
Release: May 22, 2013
Kindle buy link ($3.99):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D7TFM5E?tag=tributebooks-20
Amazon paperback buy link ($12.99):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1484820541?tag=tributebooks-20
Barnes and Noble paperback buy link ($12.99):
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-memories-tia-silverthorne-bach/1115417703?ean=9781484820544
Tia Silverthorne Bach is an avid reader, sometimes runner, involved wife and mother, and rabid grammar hound in addition to being a multi-genre writer. Her three daughters were born in Chicago, San Diego, and Baltimore; and she feels fortunate to have called many places home. She’s the award-winning co-author of Depression Cookies, a coming of age story written with her mother. Tia’s office is wherever her laptop takes her and any place that’s conducive to allowing a wild imagination like hers to flourish.
Tia Silverthorne Bach’s Web Site:
http://depressioncookies.com/
Tia Silverthorne Bach’s Author Blog:
http://depressioncookies.blogspot.com/
Tia Silverthorne Bach’s Book Review Blog:
http://etjrmbach.blogspot.com/
Tia Silverthorne Bach’s Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/tia.bach.author
Tia Silverthorne Bach’s Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Tia_Bach_Author
Tia Silverthorne Bach’s Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/TiaBach
Chasing Memories Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17909317-chasing-memories
Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186
VISIT THE CHASING MEMORIES BLOG TOUR SITE TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN ENTER AND WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD OR PAYPAL CASH!
Chasing Memories blog tour site:
http://chasingmemoriesblogtour.blogspot.com/
I received a PDF version of this book from the author’s publicist. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
The Children's and Teens' Book Connection 
Good luck on your blog tour. I’d love to win. Nice post.
I’m glad that Tia emailed me to encourage you to read the prologue in addition to the first chapter for your review, Cheryl. I’m happy that it sparked your interest to want to keep reading!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read the first part of Chasing Memories. I hope you’ll continue reading. If so, I’d love to hear further insight. Thanks again!
Sounds intriguing! Thanks for sharing, cheryl.
Thanks to everyone for stopping by. I appreciate the comments.