Stitch (Stitch Trilogy, #1)

by Samantha Durante

• Publish Date: 2016 (first published 2012)
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 312
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kelly]

http://divainpyjamas.blogspot.com.au/

Stitch is the story of Alessa. The former perfect grade A student, until her life was thrown into chaos. Both her patents were tragically killed in a car accident during her senior year of high school and naturally it has left Alessa broken. Starting college is daunting enough, so when she is assigned a campus sorority, thankful not having to live in the lifeless standard dorm rooms, until she sees what appears to be a ghost... Or is it?

On a mission to discover the history of the house and the connection to the ghost who wears turn of the century attire, Alessa's entire existence is blown apart and life as she knows it may not be the reality that she quite expects.

Well written and the plot twists will not only surprise you, they'll blow you away.You can't give this book the review it deserves without giving away the surprising, yet shocking, storyline.

[sstaley]

I really loved this book! I really liked the aspect of how things shifted so much, not even half way into the book! What you had assumed was happening, was really all a facade! This was such a clever premise! I also really liked the spunky main character, Alessa and her devoted sister Janie. This book is a fun read with a lot of action. It also is a great combination of paranormal and dystopian. This book/series is touted as being "twist-laden" and that's exactly right! I can't wait to see what is revealed in the next book. I think the most surprising thing about Stitch, is when you realize that this is the first book written by Samantha Durante! Congratulations to her for such a successful first book!

[layawaydragon]

Stitch: Disappointing Ghost Story With Dystopian Promise I wanted to be apart of this tour because I love dystopians. Honestly, one of my favorite preferred genres. I haven’t read ghost love stories before because they don’t appeal to me - not my cup of tea. However, I figured since the blurb guarantees that it’s not what it seems, the best way to find out about ghost loves stories is if it’s actually wrapped up in my favorite genre.
 
As far as Stitch is concerned, I was wrong. 
 
 




Pros:


Cons:




Liked the characters


Felt like nothing happened during the first half




Dystopian end was a step in the right direction


Didn't care for the ghost story




Back story is the best part, interesting


Predictable and formulaic



 

World isn't fleshed out or build solidly




The first majority deals with the whole straightforward ghost love story, which I wasn’t really moved by. I got to know Alessa, her best friend, Janie, and the perfectly bubbly movie star beautiful sorority head sister, Lizzie. And the ghost of course, but again, can’t say much there otherwise I would ruin everything. I did like the characters, I just found it all very standard fare and bland. The whole first half is under this fog with minor irritations that bloomed to full on frustration as it took soooo long to get to the twist I was waiting on.

The twist certainly was mind boggling and completely out of left field that finally moved the book into the science fiction dystopian genre. I did continue reading to figure out how this was all going to work. After 40 or 50 pages of flashbacks, I still can’t give a good picture of how this world works. It is rather typical dystopian set up and doesn’t include details needed to flesh it out at all. I kept asking basic questions about how it was all set up and wasn’t satisfied with the world building.Then there’s this whole action sequence with pauses for dramatic effect (How were you no caught taking so long to get away?) and questionable logic (like what tool can put a hole in a pipe?). There’s mini-reveals that didn’t land for me because it all felt really formulaic at this point. The whole ending devastation for Alessa? I’m snorting and saying, well, duh.There’s other issues like just how stupid some people came off because they kept saying “We don’t know” or “We know [this] but talk about several incidents that contradict [this] and be oblivious about it all”. The worst of it being they didn't follow through on some things that just seemed so common sense and basic. It felt like giant gaps I couldn’t move around or make sense of. The whole world is painted in broad, general strokes as is so I can’t even begin to try to parse this all out myself. It’s not even all big-important-keep-it-as-a-surprise in the next book, it’s stuff like how big is said place? One building or lots of buildings? What’s the division like? How many people are we talking about here?As far as what I was looking for the second half-ish is definitely a step in the right direction nonetheless. The back story was really the best parts of the book. After the fog of first half lifted, I really starting liking the characters more because they made sense and were far more interesting and compelling to me. I love how it’s not including the typical love triangle as well but considering the holes in place I’m worried it’s not going to stay this way. (dun, dun dunnnnn love triangle! predication. No, seriously I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t happen.)In the end, I’m wondering if the very reason I picked up the book may have been the downfall for me. The clash between the first part in an unloved genre vs. the high standards of one of my favorite genre second part was just too much. Does this mean I hated Stitch and don’t recommend it? No, I just recommend it more specifically and say it wasn’t personally up to par.

 While I had my issues, I’m actually open and interested on how the next book turns out. The end is what I wanted in the first place and with where the storyline is going I think it’s quite possible to like the next book more. I mean without the problems of the beginning just not being my preference and I think I’ll get the facts I want just by the nature of where the character are going, so Stitch #2 isn’t necessarily ruled out.First books in trilogy are usually susceptible to issues like not having it’s own storyline (not an issue here), having to open the door to a new world (started the foundation, but not really framed well), and leaving readers wanting to continue (true here).Conflicted, lots of different pros & cons = 



 
Recommended for:
 those who like ghost love stories, science fiction dystopias and won’t pick at the little things, I’d say definitely give it a shot. You’re more likely to love it, then hate it. There’s certainly promise and hope but I didn’t find it executed to my liking.(Note: All my reviews are honest opinions. Obviously, subjective and I was not compensated for this review. I simply received a free e-copy of Stitch in order to review it as part of this tour.)

[kimbacaffeinate]

Stitch delivered a fast paced, original tale with characters I immediately identified with. What started out as an intriguing ghost story quickly morphed into a gripping dystopian and I cannot wait for the next installment.

We meet Alessa a serious student in her freshman year of college. She is not at her dream college or even her second choice school. Her life altered courses when her parents died in an auto accident days before her eighteenth birthday leaving her to face her senior year of college alone. Lately, she has been losing sleep due to disturbing dreams and the specter of a handsome young man who seems to be haunting her sorority house. Determined to learn more about him she begins researching the home’s history. The tale that unfolds is fast paced; full of twists I never saw coming and the start of a fantastic new trilogy.

The characters in Stitch were complex and mysterious. I immediately became caught up in Alessa’s world. I loved watching her character change as she discovered things. She handled things so well and I think she is going to be a kick-ass heroine. We learn so much and so little about the ghost named, Isaac. I enjoyed interactions with him and his thoughts. He is twenty-seven, very much a man and quite smexy. There is a relationship in this novel and all I can say is I want to know more! It is definitely a side dish in this action packed tale, but also an important one. We get to know Jamie and Joe and other characters that added to the tale.

The driving factor above all things with Stitch was the world-building. I have read a lot of dystopians and found Durante’s vision to be brilliant. Told from multiple POV’s traveling back and forth between timelines, we slowly begin to understand Alessa and Isaac. I just want to spill my guts and share everything, but alas I shall not spoil it for you. The plot was fast paced, with clever twists and surprises that literally glued me to the book. I just kept thinking, OMG, how cool is this. While I did not always like the transition and change of POV; not because they were not good, but they did not always transfer smoothly and had me going. “Whoa wait a minute where are we?” I cannot stress enough that this was not a big enough deterrent to warn you off. It did not effect the plot and I actually enjoyed the different perspectives and felt they added to the tale and aided in the world-building. Many questions were answered regarding the world and I have a strong sense of the how and why. It did not end on a cliffhanger, but certainly has me excited for the next book.

If you are a fan of paranormal, dystopians and sci-fi then Stitch will have something for you. I still cannot get over how refreshingly original this storyline was and cannot wait for Shudder book two in this trilogy. Samantha Durante is an author to watch and I looking forward to going along for the ride.

The author provided this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review. Thank you. Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[lizarodz]

Find my original review here: http://readingwithabc.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-guest-post-and-giveaway-stitch.html#comment-form

I was very excited when Ms. Durante contacted me to be part of the blog tour for Stitch, and I’m happy to report that I was not disappointed in the least!

Stitch is a clever mix of many genres. At the beginning I thought that this was a ghost story, but as the story progressed I found out that it is part mystery, part thriller, part sci-fi, part romance and most surprisingly a dystopian novel.

The main character is Alessa, who is a brave, confused, smart girl that is obsessed with an apparition (aka as ghost) that she starts seeing in her sorority house. As she searches for the truth about who her handsome ghost is, she unravels something much more sinister and harder to grasp. We get some clues as to what might be going on in the form of nightmares that plague Alessa’s existence. Issac is the ghost, but as we get a few chapters and sections from his point of view, we find out that Alessa is an apparition for him as well. This is when the plot starts getting much more interesting and the story picks up the pace. Is a little harder to identify with Isaac as he is not present on the story as much, but we do get a pretty good insight from Alessa’s point of view. I also liked Janie, Alessa’s best friend and her sole support system.

I am fascinated by the notion that two people are so attuned to each other, so in love with each other, that they can recognize each other on a deeper level, even if they cannot remember their past.

The story started a bit slow for me. It is hard to build the story line and the plot, and then include all the twists and turns that appear out of nowhere. The plot is, therefore, unique in its complexity and there is still a lot to be discovered. The writing is very descriptive and easy to read. I wish I could tell you more (and I know this sounds very mysterious), but you need to read Stitch, my lips, as they say, are sealed :)

Shudder is the second book in the trilogy and I will definitely read it.

About the cover: Isn’t it beautiful? I love the cover, both Alessa and Isaac are on it and you can see the ‘stitch’ and what’s in between them (which makes a lot of sense after you read the book).