Lovely readers, something dreadful happened on the blog today. My blog was published as per usual this morning, but I soon received some tweets telling me my site was down. After surveying the damage (and trust me, there was damage), it became inevitable. Buy a new domain, or go back to being a blogspot.com blog. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, but I must admit that I was pretty damn attached to my domain. I've had it for over two and a half years.

Here's the dealio. When I purchased my domain in early 2010, bloggers could still purchase their domains - literally through Blogger. However, about a year ago, Google transitioned things so that you had to purchase your domain through a reseller. Those of us who were "grandfathered" into this new system are now owned in two places. Google holds the domain, as we bought it through Blogger, but Enom (a reseller) holds all the info.

Now, here's the tricky part. Enom will not allow Bloggers to renew their domains through them. Google requires you to renew it through them. Google, unfortunately, makes it tricky as hell to do that. Neither Enom nor Google sent any emails or alerts that my domain was expiring. Google doesn't have my information or a record of my transaction on file. Enom says anything I do has to be through Google. Starting to get the picture? Basically, Google now owns my domain. I can't get it unless I pay a ridiculous amount to buy it as a second party.

So, rather than just go ahead, roll over and play dead, much to my chagrin, I bought a new domain.  Unfortunately, that means any references of the .com are no longer valid, so this is requiring quite the overhaul, as the blogspot address is now redirecting all site traffic. Soooooo...this little site is now a .org site. It's not ideal, but it's still mind, and I've finally made the decision. As soon as my wedding and move are over, i swim for oceans is migrating to Wordpress.

Please make sure you know that my new link is now:

www.iswimforoceans.org

Countdown by Michelle Rowen Review

Title: Countdown
Author: Michelle Rowen (Twitter)
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publish Date: October 1, 2013
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher

3 seconds left to live. Once the countdown starts, it cannot be stopped. 2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game.

Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis.

Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove evermore deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape.

GAME OVER

There is something to be said for dystopian fiction in its most simplistic form. The reason the genre first appealed to me was simply because of its stark, brutal reality, which was oddly disconcerting to readers, if only because the ideas behind them were essentially plausible in a futuristic society, for all we know. Throughout the evolution of the dystopian genre though, we've come to notice cross-genre fiction, and Countdown embodies that it wholeheartedly. This vivid dystopian novel combines a dark dystopian premise with a distinctive sci-fi undertones, which help to set it apart from other such novels. Author, Michelle Rowen, gives readers a sinister game within the pages that lures us in, traps us inside and threatens to never let us go.

Countdown gives us a plot that, while not entirely original, is gripping nonetheless. The nature of the countdown clock gives us a predetermined time limit within which the characters we become invested in have to find a way to outwit the game and survive - or die trying. There is something dark and sadistic about the nature of the countdown that makes us need to keep reading, if only to find out whether these characters have a fighting chance.

The novel, however, does not come without its baggage. Much of Countdown is extremely reminiscent of The Hunger Games, which I can usually forgive because many a novel borrows upon its predecessors. In terms of this book, however, I could draw distinct parallels between events in The Hunger Games and events in Countdown. The fact that Kira was paired with Rogan then later told she would have to kill him in order to win the game drew directly from the troubles of Katniss and Peta. The fact that Countdown is a game with subscribers seemed eerily similar to the Arena and the people of the Capitol. There were more and, unfortunately, that detracted from my enjoyment of this novel. 

The science fiction element of Countdown was surprisingly refreshing, and I found myself craving more backstory, if only to fit these puzzle pieces together and better understand the story. We weren't offered much in terms of world-building though, so our view is rather sheltered, and we're forced to see in one direction only. Kira was a strong character, for the most part, though I feel as though she flip-flopped a lot, and a semblance of consistency for her persona would lend well to the overall plot. I'm at an impasse with Brogan because, unfortunately, I felt as though he fell into that time-honoured cliche of "hot, misunderstood boy must defy his carefully-crafted murderous character in order to survive and get the girl." It was disappointing because, had he deviated from the norm in that respect, I could have easily become more invested in his and Kira's plight.

Overall, Countdown was a quick and engaging read, but it was not without its flaws. I love the premise of the novel, and I hope to see more from the author that, perhaps, steps a bit more outside this comfort zone. I give it a 2.5 out of 5, and I recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy dystopian novels and science fiction.

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.

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!

Do you ever read books simply because they're from an author you love, rather than because of the book itself?

The sad (but very true) answer to this question is, simply. yes. But let's be honest. I'm sure I'm not the only one. It doesn't always work in my favour either. Some authors make a big impression on me the first time I read their books. It doesn't matter what they write after that initial book, but I will always pick up their books, simply because they sold me on their prowess and skill as an author the first time around. 

A great example of this is Susan Beth Pfeffer. When I read Life As We Knew It, I was really blown away. The story, the premise, the to-die-for cover - all of it made for a solid hook, and I knew from then on that I would read anything by Ms. Pfeffer because the woman can write. Now, the rest of the series hasn't worked for me, yet I keep coming back for more. That, in a nutshell, is a beautiful example of reading simply because of an author. When she released Blood Wounds, you'd better believe I got it while it was hot off the press, too.

I can guarantee I will always read anything that Michelle Hodkin writes, too. She's not only an incredible writer, but she's a great person and an awesome friend. She could write pure gibberish, and I'd still pick it up, simply because it was written by her. Jennifer Brown is another example for me. Contemporary notoriously hasn't worked for me in the past, but Ms. Brown made me see the error in my ways with Hate List. Yeah, it's perfection.

There are more authors that I'll do this for, too. John Green, anyone? Rainbow Rowell? Laurie Halse Anderson? Way back when, it was Brian Jacques. It didn't matter what he wrote...I'd read it because it was him. So, yes, I do read books for this reason, and I'm totally okay with it.