Mandate Thirteen by Joseph J Dowling Spotlight and Giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the MANDATE THIRTEEN by Joseph J. Dowling Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my
post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: MANDATE THIRTEEN

Author: Joseph J. Dowling

Pub. Date: January 10, 2023

Publisher: Manta Press, Ltd.

Formats:  Paperback, eBook

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/MANDATE-THIRTEEN

In a world with dwindling birth
rates, all young women must submit to compulsory fertility checks at the age of
thirteen. For those able to conceive, a docile existence inside the Birthing
Schools beckons—far worse if they fall into the wrong hands.

When the clandestine Baby Farmers, and their brutal leader Miko, arrive to
snatch his daughter, Michael must make a split-second choice: risk his own
freedom to protect hers… or lose her forever. Mandate Thirteen is
a gritty dystopian thriller for fans of Children of Men, A Handmaid’s
Tale, 
and The Running Man.

“An action-packed, cross-country adventure between father and daughter as they
dodge authorities, reconnect with old acquaintances, and meet new people (good,
bad, and crazy), forging connections at every stop. I loved every aspect of
their journey and how they learned so much about themselves on the way. This is
dystopian in every way that matters. A worthy addition to any library.” Preye,
Literary Darlings

 

 

About Joseph J. Dowling:

Joseph always knew he would write seriously one day. That
moment arrived in 2020, when his thriving hospitality business was temporarily
shuttered. With time on his hands, he quickly fell into an obsession and became
a keen student of the craft. 

Since finding the passion, Joseph can’t imagine life without
stories rattling around his head. Eager to make up for lost time, he’s been
fairly prolific, and his short stories have appeared in several anthologies and
literary magazines. Even better, his rejections are getting nicer by the week.

Joseph lives in London with his wife and their Scotty dog.
Mandate: THIRTEEN will be his first published novel. Scroll to the bottom of
the page on his website to sign up for his newsletter!

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner
will receive a $30
Manta Press Gift Card, International.

1 winner
will receive a
book poster (pictured below), International.

5 winners
will receive a
bookmark from this etsy store (pictured below), International.

Ends February
14th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/16/2023

Mythical Books

Excerpt/IG Post

1/17/2023

Lady Hawkeye

Excerpt/IG Post

1/18/2023

YA Books Central

Excerpt/IG Post

1/19/2023

Epic Book Society

Excerpt/IG Post

1/20/2023

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt/IG Post

1/21/2023

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt/IG Post

Week Two:

1/22/2023

A Dream Within A Dream

Excerpt

1/23/2023

bookmama85

Review/IG Post

1/24/2023

Rajiv’s
Reviews

Review/IG Post

1/25/2023

@froggyreadteach

IG Review

1/26/2023

OneMoreExclamation

Review/IG Post

1/27/2023

Books and Zebras

IG Review

1/28/2023

Wanderingwitchreads

TikTok Review/IG Post

Week Three:

1/29/2023

Jazzy Book Reviews

Review/IG Post

1/30/2023

the book near me

Review/IG Post

1/31/2023

amandainpa

Review/IG Post

2/1/2023

The Book Countess

Review

2/2/2023

The Momma Spot

Review

2/3/2023

Kim”s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s

Review/IG Post

2/4/2023

Review Thick And Thin

Review/IG Post

Week Four:

2/5/2023

@carlysunshinebooks

IG Review

2/6/2023

Brandi Danielle Davis

IG Review/TikTok Post

2/7/2023

Pick
a good book

Review/IG Post

2/8/2023

Nerdophiles

Review

2/9/2023

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic

2/10/2023

Fire
and Ice

Review

Retro by Sofia Lapuente and Jarrod Shusterman Review and Giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the RETRO by Jarrod Shusterman & Sofía Lapuente Blog Tour hosted
by 
Rockstar
Book Tours
. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: RETRO

Author: Jarrod Shusterman & Sofía Lapuente

Pub. Date: January 24, 2023

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 400

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/RETRO

What starts off as a lighthearted
competition to live without modern technology for a year turns into a fight for
survival in this unputdownable young adult thriller by New York
Times 
bestselling author Jarrod Shusterman and debut author Sofía
Lapuente.


It was never meant to happen this way.

Things were never supposed to get this out of hand.

After a cyberbullying incident at her school goes viral, Luna Iglesias finds
herself at the heart of a brewing controversy. When the social media company
Limbo—who are also implicated in the scandal—sweeps in with an offer that
sounds like an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and receive a scholarship to
the college of her dreams, she’s happy to jump on the new trend. It’s called
the Retro Challenge, where contestants live without modern technology, wear
vintage clothes, party as if the future weren’t already written, and fall in
love as if they were living in a movie.

At first, the challenge is fun. But then things get dangerous. Kids start
disappearing, including Luna’s friends. There are voices in the woods. Bloodred
markings on the trees. And Luna increasingly begins to wonder if all these
strange happenings are connected with the Retro Challenge.

Secrets. Lies. Betrayal. The weight of her family on her shoulders. There’s so
much on the line for Luna, not to mention she’s falling in love with the last
guy she expected. Unless she can figure out the truth behind who’s sabotaging
the challenge, the next person to disappear may be Luna herself.

My Thoughts: 

I am a huge proponent of nostalgia. I was an 80s and 90s kid and it was a great time to grow up. We called our friends on landline telephones, took photos that we wouldn’t see for days, weeks, months (or even years at times), and spent very few hours on the “world wide web” as it took our phone line away. In Retro, the characters are challenged to “go retro”, meaning abandoning all modern day technology for a chance to win a college scholarship. Of course, things don’t go as the main characters expect them to.

This story was extremely entertaining and fun, the characters really embraced going retro. It made me think about our world today. I’ve often thought that the birth of the internet and social media in particular has really been one of the worst things that happened to our world. The internet has been both a blessing and a curse. This book was extremely thought provoking and thrilling. The story takes off and never lets you go until the very last page. I did find some of the dialogue between characters a little cringe at times but other than that I loved it. Highly recommended!

I received this book from the author/publisher to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My Rating:

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4/5 stars!

About Jarrod Shusterman & Sofía Lapuente:

Sofía Lapuente got her start in marketing for Google Spain,
and then immigrated to the States. Since, she received a masters in fine arts
at UCLA and has produced for Emmy nominated show Caso Cerrado (Telemundo) Sofi
and her partner, Jarrod, both have co-author credits in the fourth installation
of the bestselling Arc of a Scythe Trilogy GLEANINGS (2022)
and are the authors of their upcoming novel RETRO (2023).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jarrod Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author
of novel DRY (2018), which was one of the highest bid novels
in Hollywood of 2018, selling it to Paramount Pictures, produced by Temple
hill, which he’s adapting for the screen with co author Neal Shusterman. He is
also the author of accoladed Simon & Schuster novel, ROXY (2021).
Sofi and Jarrod are partners in every sense of the word, with love and
multiculturalism as an ethos— living between Madrid, Spain and Los Angeles,
California.

Find Sofía & Jarrod- https://linktr.ee/Sofiandjarrod

 

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner
will receive a finished copy of RETRO, US Only.

Ends January
28th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/9/2023

Kait Plus Books

Excerpt/IG Post

1/9/2023

YA
Books Central

Excerpt/IG Post

1/10/2023

travelersguidetobooks

IG Review

1/10/2023

@more.books.yes.please

IG Review/TikTok Post

1/11/2023

Wanderingwitchreads

TikTok Review/IG Post

1/11/2023

onemused

IG Review

1/12/2023

amandainpa

Review/IG Post

1/12/2023

@readerofthewrittenword

IG Review

1/13/2023

Thindbooks Blog

Review/IG Post

1/13/2023

OneMoreExclamation

Review/IG Post

 Week Two:

1/16/2023

pluvioreads

Review/IG Post

1/16/2023

@froggyreadteach

IG Review

1/17/2023

Fall
Between the Pages

IG Review/TikTok Post

1/17/2023

A
Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic

1/18/2023

@amysbookshelf82

IG Review

1/18/2023

Nerdophiles

Review

1/19/2023

Satisfaction
for Insatiable Readers

Review/IG Post

1/19/2023

Book-Keeping

Review/IG Post

1/20/2023

Lisa
Loves Literature

Review/IG Post

1/20/2023

Emmiepooh2

IG Review/Facebook Post

 Week Three:

1/23/2023

@drew_ambitious_reading

IG Review/TikTok Post

1/23/2023

popthebutterfly

Review/IG Post