#alien minds

Latest post in a #Neuro #Science #Fiction #WorldBuilding project The #Brane #Connectome: Basically Fetid

Do not think of us at the dawn. Dawn is thing of suns, and of the peoples that huddle to them. Our worlds were rogue, wanderers, under a sky that shone. When the very universe was warm to the touch. Suns were not the greatest among our gods. We grew into understanding. That we were first. That we were alone. That things could not last. Our Warm Time was fleeting. Due to give way to frigid…

Blog Tour: Alien Minds by Christina Bauer [EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY]

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Book Title: Alien Minds Author: Christina Bauer Series: Dimension Drift #1 Published by: Monster House Books Publication Date: April 23rd 2019 Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

DIVERGENT meets OCEAN’S EIGHT in this urban fantasy heist!

On my seventeenth birthday, I wake up in the hospital to find I just survived a sketchy but terrible accident. My…

Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the Xpresso Tours blog tour for Alien Minds by Christina Bauer! This fun, unique sci-fi novel just released on 23 April from Monster House Books, and I’ve got all the details for you today, along with my review and a giveaway. So let’s get started!

About the Book

title: Alien Minds (Dimension Drift #1) author: Christina Bauer publisher: Monster House Books release date: 23 April 2019

DIVERGENT meets OCEAN’S EIGHT in this urban fantasy heist!

On my seventeenth birthday, I wake up in the hospital to find I just survived a sketchy but terrible accident. My parents stand by my bedside—both are beautiful, wealthy, and super-nice. They tell me that once I leave the hospital, I’ll attend the prestigious ECHO Academy, where I’ll churn out equations for the government along with my mega-smart peers.

So, I’m living the perfect life.

Then why does everything feel all wrong?

My parents, my house and even ECHO Academy…none of it fits. Plus, what’s up with Thorne, my brooding yet yummy classmate who keeps telling me I need to remember my true past, which seems to have included a lot of us kissing? That’s one thing I’d really like to remember, except for the fact that I’m pretty sure Thorne is hiding a ton of nasty secrets of his own, including the fact that he may not be from this world. But considering how my own past seems alien to me, it’s not like I can judge. Plus, Thorne has dimples. That’s a problem.

And worst of all, why does it feel so yucky to work on these calculations for the government? It’s all supposed to be part of ECHO, but my heart tells me that I’m helping something truly terrible come to pass. Thorne seems to think that kissing him again will release my real memories.

Maybe it’s time to pucker up.

“Appealing and engaging. Love the strong female character!” – Arlene’s Book Reviews

This new series is perfect for: fans of urban fantasy, action & adventure, cool science, evil corporations, forbidden romance and hot new classmates who may or may not be aliens.

Add to Goodreads: Alien Minds (Dimension Drift #1) Purchase the Book: Amazon | B&N | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo

Other Book(s) in Series:

title: SCYTHE (Dimension Drift Prequels #1) author: Christina Bauer publisher: Monster House Books release date: 24 April 2018

Add to Goodreads!

title: Umbra (Dimension Drift Prequels #2) author: Christina Bauer publisher: Monster House Books release date: 26 March 2019

Add to Goodreads!

About the Author

Christina Bauer knows how to tell stories about kick-ass women. In her best selling Angelbound series, the heroine is a part-demon girl who loves to fight in Purgatory’s Arena and falls in love with a part-angel prince. This young adult best seller has driven more than 500,000 ebook downloads and 9,000 reviews on Goodreads and retailers.

Bauer has also told the story of the Women’s March on Washington by leading PR efforts for the Massachusetts Chapter. Her pre-event press release—the only one sent out on a major wire service—resulted in more than 19,000 global impressions and redistribution by over 350 different media entities including the Associated Press.

Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.

Connect with Christina: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

My 3.5-Star Review

What fun it was to read Alien Minds, a unique sci-fi full of snark and humor, along with a healthy dose of slow-burn romance! While you certainly don’t have to read the prequel stories first, I would suggest doing so, just because you get the fullest picture of the story going in to Alien Minds. I loved meeting Meimi and her friends in Scythe and learning more about Thorne, his brothers, and their home world in Umbra. It was easy to jump right in to Alien Minds because I knew he players and knew what was going on -- but again, you don’t have to read the prequels to enjoy this one. The story behind the Dimension Drift series is unique and fresh, and I really love the voice and characters. There’s so much great humor and snark that made this a delight to read. I also really love the idea of the Sentient and want to know even more about them. 

I will say the ONLY reason I would give  Alien Minds 3.5 stars instead of 4 is that it could really use one more round of edits to polish it into a diamond. But if you don’t mind little errors and want to go along for a fun thrill ride, I highly recommend picking up Alien Minds! It’s a quick read that will provide you with lots of laughs, cool technology, swoony alien boys, and an awesome group of characters you’ll absolutely root for.

Rating: 3.5 stars (will round up to 4 on sites that don’t allow half stars)

**Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review.

About the Giveaway

Enter to win a copy of Alien Minds (print or e-book), a meteorite necklace, a space fidget spinner, and more! This one is open internationally (yay!), and ends 29 April 2019. Enter via the Rafflecopter below, and good luck! (This giveaway is run by the author, not Xpresso Book Tours.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And the sun appeared, and we were suddenly spiralling down, down, into the deep abyss that was the Mind.

It wasn’t that we weren’t expecting it; we were. No, it was that suddenly, the inevitably of our demise was perceived. The Mind meant to consume us, our thoughts, our feelings, until nothing remained except husks. And perhaps not even that could be counted on.

Stevens collapsed next to me, her face drawn as she accepted her situation. I longed to do the same, but the greater part of me rebelled; I needed to fight. I needed to do the best I could, give the others the option of escape if at all possible. And so I fought back.

Settling myself on a comfy chair I closed my eyes and searched. And found. It was there, and it was not happy. It wanted to destroy us, make us pay for causing it distress, for taking that which was its domain. And I understood, suddenly. It was not angry, as it had no such human emotions to name. It merely wanted what it considered its own back and as I could not retrieve it, it would take what was ours.

And so I offered myself, willingly. And that was the crux of it. Things given without coercion were infinitely more valuable than things taken. I could feel it pause, could feel it consider my offer, and then accept. I could feel it claiming me as its own, and then I knew pain.

It was in my mind, invading my person, polluting my thoughts and reason. Fire consumed me, burning through my veins, and I let out a chocked groan before my throat seized up. And it was there, digesting my memories and judging me. All of this in a fraction of a second, and then it was gone, taking with it the burning, leaving behind a freezing kind of balm.

I opened my eyes, taking in my surroundings, and I tilted my head to the side. Why were they all just sitting there, doing nothing? Why had they given up like this? I did not understand.

So I asked. Bluntly, by their disbelieving expressions. Stevens was saying something about the Mind devouring them, and I laughed. Why, that would never happen, now that it had claimed me!

I tried to explain this fact to them, and they reacted almost instantaneously with fear. They seven of them huddled together, whispering about how the first had been taken, me, and so now the others would as well.

I sighed; obviously they were not too bright. I tried again. “You are free to go, if you would like. We only wanted to take from you like you took from us, and now that we’ve this mind, willingly given, mind you, we are appeased.”

Stevens looked the most startled. “You, you gave into it?! But you had family! You had a family back home, they’re waiting for you! How could you just-” she couldn’t continue, throat clogged up and eyes brimming with tears.

“It is perfectly fine, you have to understand. I did this for all of you, so that you may continue home. To give you a chance, and now you have one. So leave this place, do not return, and I will be most satisfied. Tell others that we will not be so forgiving in the future.” I smiled, remembering that humans interpreted this facial expression as reassuring. I was not sure I had mastered it as the others flinched slightly.

“Forgiving! How dare you!” Stevens shouted, rushing toward me, no weapon in sight. Was she going to try to attack me with her fists? “Give us back Melinda!”

She was no more than a foot away from me when she crumpled to the ground. I looked at the others. “That is what happens when you do not heed our warnings. We offered you a chance to leave, and you took advantage of that. So now you will all be punished.”

Shouts of fear were made, but I had already left the ship. Taking in the view of the building sized shuttle in front of the massive star, a pinprick of black on deep red, I smiled. ‘Do not worry small humans,’ I thought. ‘We will absorb you. And you will not mind. Stevens understands now. And so will you.’

With but a thought, all life was extinguished on the ship, and it was sent flying into the red giant. And we all understood, and we all knew peace.

A small part of a vast Mind, we were one.