Killshot
by Aria
Michaels
Blurb:
When
17 year old Liv Larson and her brother are sent to separate foster homes, she
dedicates her every breath to getting him back. After months of solitude and
anti-social behavior, her best friend Riley ropes her into a Rooftop Solar
Flare Party. Despite the fascinating lights in the sky, Liv finds herself
drawn, instead, to Zander- the boy with the crooked smile.
For
a few hours, Liv’s troubles finally feel a bit less overwhelming—that is until
what should have been a small flare erupts into a massive solar storm forcing
them all to seek shelter in the school’s basement. Cut off from the rest of the
world and with no signs of rescue, fear and paranoia set in and battle lines
are drawn, dividing their ranks. What is left the group must embark on a perilous
journey to save one of their own and find their families…but, something
sinister awaits them in the shadows and it’s undeniably connected to Liv.
Can
Liv keep her promise to reunite with her brother? What are she and her friends
willing to do to survive? Will their bravery and determination be enough to
save them all from a rogue government, a terrifying virus, and the things that
go bump in the night…Or was Icarus, indeed, The Killshot?
getBook.at/Killshot ~ myBook.to/KillshotAudible
~ Barnes & Noble (paperback only)
Exclusive Interview with
KILLSHOT’s
Liv Larson and Zander James
Me: I can’t thank the two of you enough for taking the time to sit
down with me today. I must admit, in light of everything the two of you are
going through right now, I was quite surprised when Aria told me that you had
agreed to this interview. We are all very excited!
Liv: (shifting nervously in her
seat) Umm, can we just get this over with? We don’t
have time for this, Zander. What was I thinking? This was a bad idea.
Zander: Hey, take it easy. The
sun won’t be down for a few more minutes anyway. You said yourself, it’s too
dangerous to travel right now. We can’t go anywhere till dark. It’s okay for us
to just be still for a moment, Liv. (Zander
grabs her hand and she relaxes a bit)
Liv: (sigh) Fine. Five
minutes.
Me: Right. Okay, I suppose I will just get to it, then. (Zander flashes that crooked smile and waves
me on). Zander, this first question is for you. One fan would like to know,
what is your most treasured possession?
Zander: You know, it’s funny. If you had asked me that same question a
few days ago, I would have said my dad’s bike, and not even hesitated. But,
now? It all seems so trivial.
Me: How do you mean?
Zander: I mean it’s all just stuff.
When all you have left in this world is the clothes on your back and your
memories, possessions don’t really mean a whole lot anymore.
I guess if I had to pick something, though, the only thing I have that means anything to me
is little more than a useless scrap of metal. Still, that eagle is all I have
left of my dad. Plus, Liv damn-near got herself killed trying to get it for me.
I can never repay her for that…and for everything else. (Squeezes Liv’s hand tighter and she smiles reluctantly)
Liv: It really wasn’t that big of a deal. (She looks over her shoulder
at the door, and sighs.)
Zander: The hell it wasn’t, Liv. It was the single bravest—and stupidest
thing anyone has ever done for me. Look, if it hadn’t been for Liv’s
hair-brained scheme to get me that medicine, I wouldn’t even be here.
Liv: Well, the alternative was to lose you. I’m sorry, but that was just not an option.
Me: Of course it wasn’t. You had already lost so much…even before
Icarus hit. Being separated from your little brother just weeks after your
parents’ death couldn’t have been easy for you. I can’t even begin to imagine
that must have been like for you, Liv.
Liv: No, you can’t
imagine—and no one should ever have to. My family was everything to me. In an
instant, it was all just…gone. There was nothing I could do to change any of
it.
Zander: Seriously, you should see them together. (laughs) Riley is the persistent Yin to Liv’s stubborn Yang. When
no one else can get through to Liv, Riley always knows what to say. They have
this connection.
Me: Seems like the two of you have a connection of your own. Do you
feel as though Icarus is responsible for that or is there more to it?
Liv: Wow, I...You mean is this
(gestures between herself and Zander)
real, or is he only drawn to me out of a warped sense of obligation?
Me: It is possible that—.
Zander: Hold up. I am just going
to stop you, right there. (His eyes
narrow, he rises to his feet and Liv stands with him). What Liv and I have
together is just as real the smoke that chokes our lungs or the fires that burn
at our feet. Nothing you or anyone else says will change that.
She may be the most stubborn and strong-willed girl I have ever
met in my life, but Liv is special, and I don’t just mean her abilities, you
know? She has this sort of reluctant strength that makes the rest of us feel
safe. And by the way, my faith in her and our connection, as you put it, has absolutely nothing to do with
Icarus. Liv has always been a survivor—even before all this. We believe in her for a reason. (He turns to Liv, his copper eyes glinting
in the dim lantern light) I wish she could see what the rest of us see.
Zander: (laughs and shakes his
head) The dark is nothing to be
afraid of, lady. It’s the daylight you need to be worried about. (There are two soft taps on the door)
It’s time to go.
Me: Wait! Before you leave, I have one last question.
Liv: What? (clearly exasperated with me)
Me: Do you have any regrets?
Liv: Really? There is no room
for regret in this world anymore. Why waste time worrying about what could have
been when what is coming is so much bigger than any of it.
(They walk hand-in-hand out the door without looking back)
Interested in getting your hands on your own
copy of Killshot?
Check out the companion novella, Before the Sky
Fell.
My Review:
I received a free copy of the book from the author for my
honest opinion.
Seventeen Year old Liv Larson
lost both her parents just a few short months ago. Liv and her little brother
were put into foster homes. And now all Liv’s goals are to finish high school
find her little brother and get out of the small town in which she lives. Her
life has not been quite as bad as she thought it was going to be as she was put
into a home with good foster parents and she also gained a sister, Riley in her
new home.
Liv is just trying to get
through the next few months until she graduates and she can hit the road. She
just wants spend all her time alone in her room but on the night that the solar
flare, Icarus is supposed to happen Riley talks her into to going with her and
their classmates to watch for Icarus. But the one thing they never expected was
for Icarus to hit earth but it did and caused a major catastrophe.
When they sort of figured out
what was going on they all went to the basement and stayed there for a while.
But some of their classmates couldn’t take it anymore and decided they were
leaving. They didn’t trust Liv and what she was telling them. All she was doing
was trying to keep them safe and alive. So the group split up and one group
left but Liv and her friends stayed until they thought it was safe or as safe
as it was going to ever be and then they left as well. They didn’t have any
choice they were running out of supplies plus they needed medical help.
Liv met Zander at the Icarus
party and Icarus wasn’t the only thing that was getting hot. She knows she was
set up by her sister Riley and her boyfriend Micah. Liv and Zander hit it off
right away. Each of them found out real quick like that you could fall in love
with someone real quick especially when the world has been destroyed along with
just about everyone in it.
Killshot is filled with a lot of
sadness and happiness as well. When you pick up your copy of Killshot I suggest
that you have a box of tissue close by because you are going to need them. All
of the main characters are great people with great big hearts. I don’t know if
I could actually tell which one has the biggest heart. They all are the most
caring, strongest and loveable people you will ever meet and their story is one
of the best ever written. Killshot will stay with long after you have laid it
down. I don’t think I have ever read anything quite like Killshot before. I can’t
wait to read the next book and see where Liv, Zander, Riley and the rest of the
characters take us on their journey.
About the Author:
Aria Michaels is the
author of the Best-Selling young adult dystopian novel Killshot (Icarus Series,
Book One) as well as its companion novella, Before the Sky Fell. In addition to
her career as an author, Aria Michaels is an avid reader, die-hard zombie fan
and enthusiastic lover of bonfires and red wine. When she is not glued to her computer
pouring out the voices in her head, Aria can be found playing in the dirt with
her boys, painting, or binge-watching The Walking Dead with her husband. Don't
let her mild-mannered smile fool you…this woman has lofty ambitions that
include complete global domination. She is determined to live in a world where
every pair of yoga pants comes with a free book, an iced caramel macchiatto and
a magic force-field that repels the sound of screaming children (of which she
has six). In the meantime, Aria is hard at work on the next installment of the
Icarus Series, reveling in her role as instigator of literary mayhem and
stealth assassin of fictional characters.
For more information about Aria Michaels and the Icarus Series, be sure to
check out her website at www.ariamichaels.com
"You are never more than one choice away from a different future." --Aria Michaels
LINKS:
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