Review & Giveaway: Pieces of Me by Amber Kizer

Title: Pieces of Me
Author: Amber Kizer
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: February 11, 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Rec. Age Level: 12+

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It isn’t until Jessica Chai dies that she truly learns what it means to live. Jessica spent the majority of her short life invisible to her parents and peers. It isn’t until the final days of her life that anything remotely notable happens to Jessica, when her long, beautiful hair is hacked off by a posse of mean girls in the short span between classes. Jessica’s hair, a shield to hide behind and an integral part of her identity is suddenly gone, leaving her with unexpected, but not completely unwelcome clean slate. But, before Jessica can unveil her reinvention to her peers she’s in a fatal car accident. She doesn’t see a tunnel of light calling away from her old life, she doesn’t simply blink out of existence, she simply stays, as invisible as before. When her parents decide to donate her organs, giving four teens a second chance, Jessica is angry; she knows her mother is manipulating Jessica’s legacy for their own gain. She lingers somewhere between life and death, following the daily lives of the four recipients. Time soothes Jessica’s bitterness about her life and untimely death; what she first considers a betrayal by her parents, becomes the very act that gives Jessica life and allows Jessica, finally, to be seen. Amber Kizer’s PIECES OF ME is a raw, inspiring story of life after death and the enduring legacy of a girl whose untimely death grants the gift of life.

PIECES OF ME is a departure from what I’ve come to expect from Amber Kizer, but it carried the intensity and directness that I’ve come to associate with her writing. Kizer doesn’t do fluffy, she does real. I was so affected by the topic of organ donation that, immediately after I finished PIECES OF ME, I went online and registered to be an organ donor.

The four recipients Jessica follows are so much more than their illness or medical issue. They face complicated home lives, financial hardships, and bullying. But, at the same time, they experience first love, connection, spirituality, freedom, happiness, and best of all, the chance at a future.

The only aspects of the novel that I felt off to me were the romantic elements. Maybe it was that I wasn’t expecting any romance or simply that I was focused on other plot lines, but I found the romance distracting.

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Pieces of Me Blog Tour

2/3: A Dream Within a Dream

2/4: Peace Love Books

2/5: A Patchwork of Books

2/6: I’d So Rather be Reading

2/7: Once Upon a Twilight

2/10: Bookish

2/11: The Hiding Spot

2/12: The Children’s Book Review

2/13: Paranormal Angel

2/15: Live to Read

2/17: Jean Book Nerd

2/18: Confessions of a Readaholic

Interview & Giveaway: Amber Kizer, author of A Matter of Days

Today, Amber Kizer is at The Hiding Spot as part of Fall Festival Blog Hop to talk about her newest release, A Matter of Days! I loved this post-apocalyptic story of a brother and sister traveling across a decimated United States - be sure to check out my review here! Amber has kindly provided an audiobook of AMOD for one lucky winner at The Hiding Spot, which you can enter to win below.

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The Interview

Did you have trouble writing any of your characters or specific scenes within the novel? Or, were any characters or scenes particularly easy to write?

AMOD stewed in my brain for a very long time before the opportunity to write it appeared, so in many ways it was very easy to write. However I did an incredible amount of research on viruses and pandemics, prepping, survival, and actually took the road trip with Nadia and Rabbit via Google Earth. So the timeline and the details were tricky from my perspective—only to make it seamless for the reader—who hopefully never notices those things because they’re so caught up in the adventure!

Has the title changed or stayed relatively the same as your novel journeyed towards publication?

Originally the working title was ECHOES OF 1492. I had patient zero named “Columbus” and that led to the virus being named “1492” because it led to a whole new world—ie Christopher Columbus sailing to the Americas in 1492. However I changed editors within the publisher and she felt it sounded too historical, so I went back to the text, used a middle school of kids to focus group ideas and help narrow them down and the team at Delacorte liked A Matter of Days best. I like it because the phrase “a matter of” comes up a lot in Nadia’s thinking and rather than chapters we used days to designate breaks—cuz let’s face it, everything is different and sunrises are way more important than chapters in a survival story.

What book or author has most influenced you as a writer or in general?

Yeah, so this is impossible to answer. I read everything. Usually 20-25 books, in all genres, concurrently. I seek words and story everywhere. But if I pick one writer’s work, Gabriel Garcia Marquez has a story in Strange Pilgrims which completely changed the way I view story and details. Two little boys in an urban environment learn to scuba dive in light instead of water and subsequently drown. That story changed me completely.

For AMOD the most influential books were Stephen King’s The Stand which I read in middle school, followed closely by Richard Preston’s Hot Zone. Both sucked me into daydreams about survival and pandemics.

What jobs did you have on your way to becoming a writer/published author? Is there a certain work experience that has shaped your writing?

I started writing because I developed a rare nerve disorder in my legs that requires an incredible amount of flexibility and fortitude to get through each day.

 If you had to pick a favorite word, what would it be and why?

Aside from swearing? “Splendid.”

My blog is dedicated to my personal hiding spot, books. Who, what, or where can be credited as your personal escape from reality?

Are you saying I can’t pick books too? I have a variety of escapes—the animals in my life, my gardens, trashy reality television, and food—all fulfill anti-reality niches for me!

Find out more about Amber and her books here!

Follow Amber on Twitter: @WriteAmberKizer
Email comments to Amber at Amber@AmberKizer.com 

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More about A Matter of Days:

On Day 56 of the pandemic called BluStar, sixteen-year-old Nadia's mother dies, leaving her responsible for her younger brother Rabbit. They secretly received antivirus vaccines from their uncle, but most people weren't as lucky. Their deceased father taught them to adapt and survive whatever comes their way. That's their plan as they trek from Seattle to their grandfather's survivalist compound in West Virginia. Using practical survival techniques, they make their way through a world of death and destruction until they encounter an injured dog; Zack, a street kid from Los Angeles; and other survivors who are seldom what they seem. Illness, infections, fatigue, and meager supplies have become a way of life. Still, it will be worth it once they arrive at the designated place on the map they have memorized. But what if no one is there to meet them?

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Review: A Matter of Days by Amber Kizer

 On Day 56 of the pandemic called BluStar, sixteen-year-old Nadia's mother dies, leaving her responsible for her younger brother Rabbit. They secretly received antivirus vaccines from their uncle, but most people weren't as lucky. Their deceased father taught them to adapt and survive whatever comes their way. That's their plan as they trek from Seattle to their grandfather's survivalist compound in West Virginia. Using practical survival techniques, they make their way through a world of death and destruction until they encounter an injured dog; Zack, a street kid from Los Angeles; and other survivors who are seldom what they seem. Illness, infections, fatigue, and meager supplies have become a way of life. Still, it will be worth it once they arrive at the designated place on the map they have memorized. But what if no one is there to meet them?

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Amber Kizer's A Matter of Days has a deceptively simple plot: a virus has swept the country, leaving the majority of the population dead, and a small number of shell-shocked survivors in its wake. Nadia and Rabbit, who watched their mother die a painful death from the virus, called BluStar because of the blue bruising that forms as the victim's blood hemorrhages beneath the skins surface, are two of those survivors. They're survival had very little to do with luck. Before the virus took hold, Nadia's uncle sent her a cryptic messages urging that she, Rabbit, and her mother administer shots he sent, with no explanation other than a mysterious and chilling insistence of importance. Nadia and Rabbit immediately followed through, but, by the time their mother complied it was too late. Now, left alone, the siblings set out to fulfill their uncles command that they make their way across the country to their estranged grandfather's well-stocked bunker in West Virginia. Thus begins a journey filled with danger, chance encounters, and a chilling look at the destruction BluStar has wrought in only a matter of days.

One of the things that sets A Matter of Days apart from other post-apocalyptic literature is how little introduction the plot requires. The premise set forth by this novel is one of the most realistic in that it was far to easy to imagine events actually occurring. There is no long, drawn out downfall from the time BluStar strikes to their decimation of most of the human population. As the title implies, it really is only a matter of days until the entire world is forever changed. Because the effects are so immediate, it was terrifying how easily the reader could put themselves in Nadia and Rabbit's shoes. Just imagine if next week, your entire family had died in front of you. Your classmates? Dead. Your neighbors? Gone. Electricity? Running water? Fresh food? Gone, gone, gone. 

The main characters are what can only be described as typical. Nadia and Rabbit weren't especially close before BluStar, but nothing creates a bond like living through the near annihilation of the human race. The fact that the main characters are siblings adds a compelling and fresh dynamic within post-apocalyptic genre: the two can trust one another. There is no doubt that they have each others' backs... So, while they definitely encounter survivors that are scary and untrustworthy, as long as they're together, they always have someone to trust. Comparing Nadia and Rabbit's experience to the other survivors they encounter during their cross-country (family) road trip(from hell) was exceedingly interesting. One sad soul they encounter appeared to have literally lost her mind, left alone and completely unable to cope, she'd suffered a complete break from reality.

While Nadia and Rabbit are in many ways typical of people their age, they have unique advantage: Be the cockroach. Their grandfather, an intense conspiracy theorist, had been convinced for years that they end of days was approaching. If anyone was prepared for something like BluStar, it was him. Their father, in addition to being raised by a man obsessed with preparing for such an event, was in the armed forces, and impressed upon Nadia and Rabbit the importance of being able to adapt. To be survivors instead of statistics. Armed with the advice of their father, the siblings are as prepared as they'll ever be to survive.

Fans of post-apocalyptic stories will appreciate the straight-forward nature of Kizer's A Matter of Days and the intelligence and common sense of Nadia and Rabbit. Action, introspection, and haunting encounters fill the pages of this well-executed tale.

Delacorte BFYR, June 2013,Hardcover, ISBN:9780385739733, 276 pgs.

Cover of the Week (20)

Cover of the Week is a weekly feature at The Hiding Spot, in which I share a cover that gives me that swoony feeling.

Wildcat Fireflies (Fenestra Bk 2)by Amber Kizer
Random House/2011

I prefer the cover of MERIDIAN more than WILDCAT FIREFLIES, but I still think this one's gorgeous! The only part of this cover that I don't love is the girl's mouth... there's something awkward about it... But I'm loving the green and black. Plus, I could say the title all day!

MERIDIAN Cover:

Review: Meridian by Amber Kizer

Title: Meridian
Author: Amber Kizer
Publisher: Delacorte
Pub. Date: 2009
Genre: YA
Main Themes: Angels, Death, Love, Family, Supernatural
Pages: 305
Plot (from book jacket):"Half human, half angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.
Meridian has always been an outcast. It seems that wherever she goes, death and grief follow. On her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her home - and though she's untouched, Meridian's body explodes in pain.
Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she's in danger to her family and is hustled off to her great-aunt's house in Revelation, Colorado. There she learns the secret her parents have been hiding for her entire life: Meridian is a Fenestra, the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead.
It's crucial that Meridian learn how to transition human souls to the afterlife - how to help people die. Only then can she help preserve the balance between good and evil on earth. But before she can do that, Meridian must come to terms with her ability, outsmart the charismatic preacher who's taken over Revelation, and maybe - if she can accept her sworn protector, Tens for who he is - fall in love. Meridian and Tens face grave danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos. But together, they have the power to outsmart evil."

Meridian was a an interesting take on death and the after life, with a well written love story interwoven.

When I first saw the cover art for Meridian a few months before it was released, I was immediately drawn to the book. I loved the dark color scheme and the fact that it was quite clearly had some type of supernatural element.

When I was younger I was deathly (no pun intended) afraid of dying. I would lay awake at freaking out about what it would be like to lose a family member or pet. I think that having read Meridian back then might have helped assauge some of those fears. The ideas about death and the after life presented in this book make death seem not quite as scary or final.

I really enjoyed the romance and relationship that developed between Meridian and Tens. I'm a sucker for the protective guys, like Tens, but he was refreshing in that he still let Meridian learn for herself and believed she was a strong individual. He loved and cared for her, but gave her room to grow and learn as well. I really appreciated the fact that Tens and Meridian didn't immediately fall for one another, they actually disliked each other quite strongly at the beginning of the novel. I liked the chase and tension before they admitted their feelings to one another.

Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Writing Style: 10
Romance: 10
Originality: 10

Total: 50/50 (A!)

I definitely recommend Meridian - it was a great supernatural debut for Amber Kizer, author of One Butt Cheek at a Time. I look forward to (hopefully) reading more about the world of Meridian!

In My Mailbox (6)

IMM is hosted by Kristi, aka The Story Siren!

I'm really pumped about all the books IMM this week - all of them have been on my wishlist!


The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones (9/1/09, Walker Books)
"Fans of urban fantasy should prepare for a new kind of vampire–one that feeds off of tears instead of blood. Descended from an ancient line of creatures that gain their energy from human tears, Cassandra Gray depends on human sorrow to live. Only Cass has grown tired of living this life and wants to live like a human, especially now that she's met someone worth fighting for."
This book came as part of Traveling to Teens and I am so excited for it! It looks so amazing!


Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard (already out from Razorbill)
"To impress the popular girls on a high school trip to London, klutzy Callie buys real Prada heels. But trying them on, she trips…conks her head…and wakes up in the year 1815!
There Callie meets Emily, who takes her in, mistaking her for a long-lost friend. As she spends time with Emily’s family, Callie warms to them—particularly to Emily’s cousin Alex, a hottie and a duke, if a tad arrogant.
But can Callie save Emily from a dire engagement, and win Alex’s heart, before her time in the past is up?
More Cabot than Ibbotson, Prada and Prejudice is a high-concept romantic comedy about finding friendship and love in the past in order to have happiness in the present."
I found this one at my new library where I live in Kalamazoo - which is huge! Basically, I am in love with a library. Creepy? I think not! Okay, maybe, but I don't even care!


Meridian by Amber Kizer (out now from Delacorte)
Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.
Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain.
Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.
This one was at the library too - and I've been dying to read it so I was super excited!


The Naughty List by Suzanne Young (2/10/2010 from Razorbill)
"Tessa Crimson: Cheerleader by Day, Spy by Night
As leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), Tessa’s mission is twofold: pep preservation and relationship salvation. That’s right, Tessa is a head cheerleader whose night job is catching cheating boyfriends in the act! Thank goodness her own relationship with Aiden is strawberry-smoothie purrfect—except for the fact that she’s been concealing her nocturnal habits for, oh, two years.
Aiden suspects something’s up, and his patience is wearing thin. But in the meantime, Tessa’s far too busy to deal with her own romantic roadblocks. The Naughty List is at maximum capacity; because so far, every single suspect on it is 100% guilty.
When sultry Chloe Ferril transfers to Washington High, things only become more catastrophic. Tessa knows this predatory vixen won’t stop hunting Aiden until her claws are planted firmly in his backside…
But Tessa’s in for an even bigger shock when Aiden’s name shows up on The Naughty List, and she’s finally forced to confront the unthinkable: is her own boyfriend just as naughty as all the rest?"
I can't wait to read this one!! I think that it has such an interesting premise... for some reason it reminds me of Veronica Mars, which makes me want to read it even more. And watch Veronica Mars... :) Thanks Razorbill for the copy!