Persistence of Vision Blog Tour Stop, Review/Giveaway & This and That with Author Liesel Hill

Welcome to the Persistence of Vision Blog Tour!

Today is the stop at my blog and I'm super excited to share with you about the book, it's author and my review!  Plus, this is my first ever blog tour and I was honored to be asked to be a part of it!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post to win your OWN ebook copy of Persistence of Vision!

Persistence of Vision (Interchron #1)

By: Liesel K. Hill

386 pages

Published January 29, 2012 by Tate Publishing

Genre: New Adult futuristic dystopian fantasy

Source: Ebook copy provided by author for honest review

Goodreads / Amazon

Summary:

In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories.

After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can't explain. When she's attacked by a creep with a spider's web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she's never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives.

In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way.

If Maggie can't fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away...

My Review:

Let me start by thanking Liesel again for asking me to be a part of her blog tour, in exchange for my honest opinion of her book.  

This book seemed to be slightly out of my preferred reading genre when I first read about it, but I am so thankful I took the time to read it!  Liesel has created an incredible imaginary future world where the medical advances of the human brain has opened up many doors in the way of medical research, where (just one example) people have the ability to turn off lights or water with just a thought, not by magic but by brain activity.  Pretty awesome, right?!  Unfortunately as with any good intentions, bad people who are power hungry typically sprout up as well, and in this futuristic setting that is also the case. 

There are those who want to make humanity into mindless beings, all functioning with the same thoughts and actions, with the initial intent that people who were criminals can be retrained, if you will, by controlling what they think about and how they act - these people are called the Collectives.  "A collective conscious that moves, thinks and acts as one.", "...a form of slavery."  And then you've got those who resist such mind control and want to hold onto the freedom they have of freewill and choice as it's what makes us human. These resistors are called Individualists with "...the goal of bringing individual freedom back."

I was intrigued by the story very early on, when our 24 year old heroine Maggie is in in Vegas and sees a strange man on the street who nobody else seems to notice and she is drawn to him for some unknown reason.  When he sheds a tear while holding her arm I'm immediately hooked wondering about the mystery of who this strange man is and what he means to Maggie and she to him.  

Meet the mystery man: "his eyes were a strange color.", "hazel...but so hazel that they looked almost amber", "a scar shaped like an upside-down question mark covered the left side of his face", "broad shoulders", "deeply muscled arms".

The characters are rich and all have a very unique story of why and how they came to be living in the Interchroniter, i.e. Interchron.  There are many twists and turns I wasn't expecting and the story just continued to grow and develop as it went on, setting the perfect stage for the books to come in the series.  There are action scenes and emotional ones.  For those who are a fan of romance in their books, there is, let's call it a budding romance, between Maggie and Marcus.  But you'll have to read to find out what exactly their relationship is and what's in store for them.  Persistence of Vision was really quite a gripping tale of the future of humanity.

Those who are fans of books such as The Host, Divergent, and Under the Never Sky will enjoy this story!  Though listed as New Adult, and it is, based on the ages of the characters, this is a clean story and as such is safe for younger readers, 15+.

Favorite Quotes:

"Consider this reason: in another place, another lifetime, you knew and trusted me enough to tell me your darkest secrets. Trust me now."

"...something told her that he was the safer of the two choices."

"They told as many people as would listen that it is choice, not brain chemistry, that determines our actions and that only by being accountable for our actions could society continue to function."

"Everything he --they --were was leaving her, and she was powerless to stop it.  She had a sensation of sobbing, but her body was paralyzed, so it was only her soul weeping.  Her memories, her identity was fading."

"People ought to be treated equally and given equal opportunities, but no two people are exactly alike.  They exude their own kind of beauty--strong in some areas, weak in others, and just as beautiful for their weaknesses as for their strengths."

"I wish you remembered us", he whispered."

"I know that man loves you.  I know all your companions are fiercely loyal to you."

"You're evil people with an insatiable desire to control others.  You had no control over some part of your lives in the past, and now you're addicted to the feelings of power and control because you're scared to death of the lack of it."

"...there will always be someone who is so strong, who is such a force of rebellion against those that would oppress him that he will get away."

"Evil men are always narrow minded.  They can't see beyond their own intentions.  Those of us who are both more educated and more compassionate often can't comprehend their stupidity."

"That had to be the worst pick-up line she'd ever heard, or at least the geekiest."

"I, uh, saw an interesting stump a ways back.  I think I'll go sit on it for awhile." - ha ha, I love Karl!

"You were my persistence of vision." (swoon!!!)

In a future such as this would you want to be a Collective or an Individual?  There are two sides to every story....where do you think you'd fall?  "The question is, are you willing to submit completely to another human being and let them live your life for you?"  Would you want the safety and security that comes from being among so many others?  "The collectives all worked together for mutual survival."  "...easier, others to share pain and life with.  No loneliness, no uncertainty, no vulnerability."

Final rating 4 stars!

About the Author:

I am a fiction writer that writes across three genres: scifi/fantasy, crime drama, and historical fiction.  I especially love dystopia and high fantasy, but I explore all kinds of things that fall within the realm of fantasy.

I am single and live in northern Utah with two of my sisters and my 2-year-old niece. I come from a tight-knit family of fourteen. That's right! Twelve kids, all from the same two parents. Everybody breathe. It's all okay. Promise. 

I'm very close to my parents and siblings. As you can imagine, our family get-togethers are a bit, um, ridiculously chaotic. But that's okay because we always have fun.

I love to read, as you might imagine. My other hobbies include cooking, playing the piano, and watching TV with my sisters.

Favorite TV shows: Supernatural, Game of Thrones, Grey's Anatomy, Vampire Diaries, Criminal Minds, CSI, The Walking Dead, Copper, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Fringe, Blue Bloods.

Favorite Books: Too many to name! Heart of Darkness, Book of Mormon, Old Testament, pretty much any well-written high fantasy novel, for a few.

I love reading, writing, story-telling, and dark chocolate. Bring on the over-analyzing, flawed characters, over-the-top drama, and fantasy worlds!

Check out my other pages for information about me and my books! 

Website: Interchron.tateauthor.com

Blog: musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com

Facebook: facebook.com/interchronseries or facebook.com/lieselkhill

Twitter: twitter.com/lkhillbooks

Pinterest: pinterest.com/lkhillbooks

Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6517902.Liesel_K_Hill

Goodreads Book Page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15982000-persistence-of-vision

This and That with Liesel Hill

Cat or Dog?

I don't have either right now, but if I had to choose, I'd go with dogs.  Big ones.

Ocean or Mountains?

I'm a mountain girl.  Because I was born and raised in Utah, I grew up hiking in the Rockies.

Vampires or Werewolves?

Probably werewolves.  I don't know why.  I probably actually like them about equally, but there's just something that's more mannish or American about werewolves, somehow.  I don't know. *shrugs*

Coke or Pepsi?

Neither.  I rarely drink carbonated drinks.  When I do, it's usually Sprite.  I know, how boring am I? ;D

Steak or Chicken?

Officially chicken, since I'm always trying to be healthy, but when I get in the mood, I do love me some steak every once in a while.

Nephilim or Demon?

I'm not very familiar with either.  Angel/Demon books aren't my faves, so I suppose it would depend on what the role is.  Demons for bad guys?  Nephilim for good ones?

Drive or Ride?

Drive, generally.  I don't mind riding, depending on who is driving. :D

Morning or Night?

Morning.  I'm an early riser, not a night owl.

Clean shave or Facial hair?

Either, clean shave or stubble.  I'm not into full-on facial hair types.

Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook, though I've become quite fond of Twitter these past months as well.

Print or ebook?

Both!  I make use of both formats, depending on where and when I'm reading.

Jeans or Skirt?

Jeans generally.

Flip Flops or Tennis Shoes?

Depends on the type of year and activity.  Flip flops for summer, though if the activity is hiking or exercise, tennis shoes all the way.

Chocolate or Candy?

Chocolate, of the dark variety.

Tattoos or Piercings?

Piercings, though I only have a single one of those in my ears.  I'm not big on the excess of either one.

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