Saturday, June 21, 2014

Active Minds & Gray's Domain by Eva Pohler




Twenty-four amazing authors have joined forces with Eva Pohler Books and over a dozen outstanding bloggers to raise money for Active Minds, a non-profit organization devoted to mental health awareness and suicide prevention in young adults. In addition to donating their books, swag, and gift cards, many of these participants have also given cash donations directly to the organization. This coalition of authors and bloggers wants to help eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness and let young adults know there are people who care and to never give up. You can help, too! One of the entry options on the rafflecopter giveaway is to donate $1 or more to Active Minds. The link will take you directly to the foundation's website, and it's so easy to do!  Click on the Active Minds logo above to find out more about this organization.

Here is the list of prizes you can enter to win!

 Mercy Amare and K.T. Smith's Legacies 
Casey Bond's Reap 
Jacinda Buchmann's Indigo Incite 
Amy Evan's Clicks plus jelly bean kisses 
C.R. Everett's I Loved That About Her 
A.M. Hargrove's Tragically Flawed 
Laura Howard's The Forgotten Ones 
Amy Jones's A Zebra Like Me 
Allana Kephart and Melissa Simmons's Uprising 
Quinn Loftis's Grey Wolves Series 
Quinn Loftis's Elfin Series 
Quinn Loftis's Call Me Crazy 
Kelly Martin's Big Is Beautiful 
Jo Michaels's Lily (Mystic Vol. 2) 
Jennifer Miller's Pretty Little Lies 
J.D. Nelson's Night Aberrations 
Alison Pensy's Custodian Novels Boxed Set 
Eva Pohler's The Gatekeeper's Saga 
C.W. Stokes's Second Chances 
Becca Vincenza's Damaged 
$5 Amazon GC Lisa's Book Lair
$1.99 ebook Supagurl Books
$3 Amazon GC Kat's Indie Book Blog:

Along with the rafflecopter for the prizes above is a tour celebrating the release of Gray's Domain, the second book in The Purgatorium Series. If you are need in therapy, this is the series to read! It tells of an island off the coast of California where Dr. Gray and her staff use experimental methods on clinically depressed and suicidal patients sent their by family members who have no other hope. Seventeen-year-old Daphne is their newest patient.


And now, let's find out some more about Gray's Domain.

Title:  Gray's Domain
Series:  The Purgatorium #2
Author:  Eva Pohler
Published:   June 1st 2014 by Green Press/Eva Pohler
Length:  296pgs
Format:  ARC ecopy
Genre:  YA 
Shelf:  review
Rating:  ★★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

After enduring Dr. Hortense Gray’s experimental therapy on an island off the coast of California at a compound known as The Purgatorium, seventeen-year-old Daphne is delighted to learn she will now have a chance to have revenge on her parents and boyfriend by participating in their therapy. It’s payback time, and Daphne can’t wait to begin.

Dr. Gray defends her dubious methods by claiming that all treatments come with risks, but when real bullets fly and lives are at stake, Daphne decides she wants no part of it and hatches a plan to save her family.

My Review:

This novel was spooky and eerily entertaining. Pohler’s phenomenal descriptions of the natural world leave you breathless while her fantastically imaginative storytelling keep you hooked. The story’s smooth forward flow pulls you in. The symbolism behind various aspects of the story adds an extra layer to the tale. Not only is this story suspenseful and grippingly entertaining, it also has a huge psychological impact on the reader. It opens your eyes to the possibilities and realities around you. I repeatedly asked myself if the end justified the means. I found myself laughing regularly. Even when events seem a bit over the top it’s still easy to see and feel the real possibility behind it. Pohler also had me crying towards the end of the story. I will warn you, however, that this novel picks right up where the last left off. As a reader you’d be missing a great deal by not reading the first novel in the series first. And it’s worth the read.

I really appreciate how the main character grows and an individual. Pohler really lets you get inside her head. You see her weighing the pros and cons, battling her demons, and becoming a more rounded and understanding individual (even if I may not always agree with her decisions). The supporting cast is so varied that there is someone for everyone to connect with, and for everyone to throw a bucket of water at. Everyone was uniquely yet fully developed to create a well rounded cast.

This novel may have been written with teens in mind, but it’s so compelling and is perfect for adults as well. I couldn’t put this one down. The story and theories behind it will stay with me for the long haul.

|  Goodreads  |  Shelfari  |  B&N  |  Indigo  |  Smashwords  |

1 comment: