Let's Talk is a weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

What social media do you use for your blog and/or what do you wish you knew more about so you could?

When I first started book blogging, it was really just a hobby for me. I didn't so much care about the recognition or noticeability of my blog, and I didn't really think about how very interconnected the world of social media really is. After about a year of blogging though, I began to realize that as my blog continued to grow, so did the potential reach of my blog, as well.

That's a pretty tricky thing to balance though. To ensure that your blog has a high viewership, attracts the attention of authors and publishers and really stands out in the world of social media, I realized I really needed an active presence...just about everywhere.

Luckily enough, I got a job as a social media marketing manager, and I began to really started to piece it all together, as well as to search out new avenues to use in the promotion of my blog.

Today, I use Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+ and Pinterest to promote my blog. While I'm comfortable with most, I'll admit that Google+ is probably my least favourite of the sites that I use. In theory, it's the perfect way to promote your blog. If used correctly, you have the opportunity to begin to directly affect your search results, thus boosting your SEO potential. Sounds great, right? Right(isn). Here's the thing...I don't find it to be the most engaging platform and, frankly, though easy enough to use, it's also not that prominent in terms of reaching out to publishers and authors. 

I use it...but not nearly enough. I think that Twitter and Facebook have had the biggest impact on my blog, right behind Goodreads, which obviously made a huge difference for me. Plus, those three are all super user-friendly and entertaining. Pinterest is great to promote giveaways, covers, artwork...plus, let's be honest, I mostly pin recipes and travel on there anyway.

What about you? Which platforms do you use...and do you have a favourite/least favourite?

Title: Unbreakable
Author: Kami Garcia (Twitter)
Publisher: Little, Brown BYR
Publish Date: October 1, 2013
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Kennedy's life has gone from bad to worse as of late. Once a normal girl, everything changed the day she found her mother dead. Now, Kennedy's life is thrust into a world of supernatural creatures - spirits, demons and deadly forces that want nothing more than to kill her. From everyday schoolgirl to a member of a demon-fighting Legion, Kennedy must take up her mother's cause and continue her mission...and everything along the way is new, dangerous and deadly to her.

Before I review this book, I must say that I wasn't the world's biggest fan of Beautiful Creatures. It just felt like something was missing to me, so I really did have pause when this one showed up on my reading radar. That said, I do believe that Kami Garcia has a great mind and a fantastic author's voice, plus I was very intrigued to read a paranormal story for a change. Unbreakable seemed like the perfect story for me because it's devoid of the typical werewolves and vampires. Rather, we're offered a menacing demon, a mystery in which to become invested and a race for survival.

For all my hesitation going into reading Unbreakable, I have to say that I was pretty darn pleased with the writing of this novel. It has a strong, fast and extremely solid pace, and it really felt as though the plot was steady throughout. Furthermore, I thought that Kennedy was a great protagonist in whom to become invested. Though devastated, she had a strength and resilience about her that was both endearing and believable. Above all else though, she was a strong female character, and that's such a necessary element for me in paranormal tales these days. In addition to Kennedy, we get an ensemble cast including Priest, Jared, Lukas and Alara who match her evenly and never really take a back seat. I really enjoy it when secondary characters bring their own arcs to play, as well, and the supporting characters of Unbreakable definitely did. I did have a bit of an issue with the ease of the mystery though. As the teens search to find the missing pieces to this weapon that can destroy the demon once and for all, they find them with relative ease, and they're all extremely centrally located. If it was such a formidable weapon, I would really have loved to see them struggle a bit more to find the pieces. I would assume that this weapon would be scattered, rather than held in one veritable stronghold. There is also, unfortunately a love triangle in this novel, and while I liked that Kennedy had to choose between two equally great guys, it did get a bit cloying and overwhelming as the story went on. Without that, I think I could have dealt with a single relationship instead.

Overall, I think that Unbreakable was a pretty strong and intriguing start to a new series. Despite the few issues I had with it, I'll definitely continue on. I give it a 3.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA and paranormal stories.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for...

Title: Dissonance
Author: Erica O'Rourke (Twitter)
Publisher: Simon Schuster BYR
Publish Date: August 5, 2014
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi
Pages: 288

Delancy Sullivan has always known there’s more to reality than what people see. Every time someone makes a choice, a new, parallel world branches off from the existing one. Eating breakfast or skipping it, turning left instead of right, sneaking out instead of staying in bed ~ all of these choices create an alternate universe in which an echo self takes the road not travelled and makes the opposite decision. As a Walker, someone who can navigate between these worlds, Del’s job is to keep all of the dimensions in harmony.

Normally, Del can hear the dissonant frequency that each world emits as clear as a bell. But when a training session in an off-key world goes horribly wrong, she is forbidden from Walking by the Council. But Del’s not big on following the rules and she secretly starts to investigate these other worlds. Something strange is connecting them and it’s not just her random encounters with echo versions of the guy she likes, Simon Lane.

But Del’s decisions have unimaginable consequences and, as she begins to fall for the Echo Simons in each world, she draws closer to a truth that the Council of Walkers is trying to hide ~ a secret that threatens the fate of the entire multiverse.

First of all, I freaking adore that cover. The colours, the repetition...it's just fantastic. I also really love this twist on our ever-changing destinies in Dissonance. What if a parallel world really did branch off every time we made a simple choice? I love this power that Del has, too. It's original, and it's really, really interesting - though it could be complicated, too. Who knows? Either way, I'm really intrigued by this story, and I can't wait to see the way it plays out! What do you think, and what are you waiting on this week?