Welcome to my stop during the book blitz for Slip (Slip #1) and Grip (Slip #2) by David Estes. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and runs from December 1 - 5. You can view the complete blitz schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.
SlipSlip #1
David Estes
YA Dystopia
December 1, 2014
Someone must die before another can be born...
As sea levels rise and livable landmasses shrink, the Reorganized United States of America has instituted population control measures to ensure there are sufficient resources and food to sustain the growing population. Birth authorization must be paid for and obtained prior to having a child. Someone must die before another can be born, keeping the country in a population neutral position at what experts consider to be the optimal population. The new laws are enforced by a ruthless government organization known as Pop Con, responsible for terminating any children resulting from unauthorized births, and any illegals who manage to survive past their second birthday, at which point they are designated a national security threat and given the name Slip.
But what if one child slipped through the cracks? What if someone knew all the loopholes and how to exploit them? Would it change anything? Would the delicate resource balance be thrown into a tailspin, threatening the lives of everyone?
And how far would the government go to find and terminate the Slip?
In a gripping story of a family torn apart by a single choice, Slip is a reminder of the sanctity of a single life and the value of the lives we so often take for granted.
You can find Slip on Goodreads
You can buy Slip here:
- Amazon
Excerpt
Luce grabs him roughly and shoves him against the
wall. “They’ll kill you. They won’t hesitate. I won’t leave a friend.” There
are tears in her eyes and his vision blurs as tears flood his own vision.
Luce’s grip on him slackens as she seems to realize how close together they
are.
When Benson blinks the moisture away, he almost gasps.
A dark-clothed Hunter strides past directly behind Luce. Crap. “Luce, they’re here,” he whispers.
Her eyes widen and he sees the fear that penetrates
her expression. But just as quickly her eyes narrow and he can almost see the
wheels turning in her head. Then, before he can so much as take another breath,
she flexes her muscles, takes a deep breath, and leans forward and kisses him
hard on the lips.
His entire body stiffens, shocked by the strange
action taken by Luce when they’re in mortal danger, but then relaxes when he
realizes what she’s doing: acting. She’s pretending to kiss him, just an act to
fool the Hunters—two lovers in the shadows. Not the most wanted fugitives in
the city. And yet, even her fake kissing sends Benson’s heart racing.
Automatically, his lips melt into hers, rolling over them like gentle waves.
His hand curls around the back of her head.
“Anything?” the Hunter shouts to someone Benson can’t
see.
Luce jolts and her eyes pop open, but Benson stops her
from turning, kissing her again. They watch each other as they kiss, which
should be weird and sort of interesting, but Benson’s too scared to think about
all of that.
“Nothing,” says someone else, presumably another
Hunter. They must’ve been closing in from either side, rounding the curve,
invisible until the last moment.
The train rumbles closer.
“Did you check everyone?” the second Hunter asks the
first. The tone sounds so familiar. Benson tries to place it.
“Not everyone, but there was no one suspicious,” the first
Hunter says.
“Go back and check everyone, you moron. The little
buggers certainly didn’t get past me.”
“I’m the moron? You were one of the first ones inside
the last time we had them trapped. How’d that work out for you?”
“Check them,” the second Hunter growls, a command this
time. The cyborg, Benson realizes with a start.
Benson can feel Luce’s heart pounding against his
chest. Or is that his heart? No. His, as usual, has switched with his brain and
is trying to break through his skull. They’re screwed.
With a screech of brakes, the train pulls to a stop, a
burst of wind following it a moment later. “Wait until the doors are about to
close,” Benson whispers, his lips brushing hers.
She nods against him.
“Hey you!” one of the Hunters shouts. Benson holds his
breath. Is he talking to them? Adrenaline pours through his veins, his body
preparing to run. “Yeah you. Did you see a couple of teenagers come down these
stairs?”
The law of the Tunnels is that no one talks to Crows
or Hunters.
Benson risks a glance past Luce. The train waits for a
few stragglers to board, its doors open. The Hunter’s back is to them. He’s
facing an old guy with a thick gray beard.
“I’ve got to catch this train,” the man says, trying
to pull away.
The Hunter grabs him. “Did. You. See. Them?” the
Hunter says.
A loud tone sounds. Last chance to board the train.
“I’ve really got to go,” the man says. Don’t look at us, don’t look at us,
Benson thinks.
The Hunter whips out a large black gun and points it at
the old guy’s face.
“Okay, okay,” the guy says. His eyes flick over the
Hunter’s shoulder. They lock on Benson.
No.
Why are the doors not closing yet? Then Benson sees
her. How he missed her before, he doesn’t know, except she’s standing so still
it’s like she’s an inanimate object. A young girl, no more than eight or nine,
is holding the door open with a hand. She’s staring at them. Are you coming? her expression seems to
say.
The old guy raises a hand and points at them.
The Hunter turns.
Benson shoves Luce and pushes off from the wall. In
his peripheral vision he sees the Hunter whirling, his gun catching up to his
body, taking aim, firing…
The blast is like an echoing explosion within the
confines of the Tunnels, and for a moment Benson can’t hear anything. Luce is
still beside him and they dive inside the door, which is finally closing, the
girl having moved her hand away, her face shocked as she clings to her mother,
who’s similarly clinging to a metal pole. And their mouths are open and they’re…screaming?
The sound rushes into Benson’s ears, the screams of
the train passengers like alarm sirens.
The doors close and Benson looks at Luce, who seems
okay, if a little stunned. Using each other as crutches, they stand, peering
out the window as the train lurches forward. A black metal gun barrel faces
them, just ahead of the cyborg’s gleaming white smile.
Grip
Slip #2
David Estes
YA Dystopia
December 1, 2014
In a tumultuous world of population control, one illegal child has slipped through the cracks. Now, as a teenager, Benson Kelly has escaped certain deaths at the hands of the Department of Population Control, only to find himself the symbol of a rebellion, something he never intended.While trying to survive one day at a time, Benson seeks to unravel the tangled knot of secrets left behind when his father died, the key to which has something to do with his mother, Janice Kelly, recently escaped from the insane asylum.As the rebel group known as the Lifers continue to use brute force to send a message to the government, Benson's twin, Harrison Kelly, seeks to exploit a loophole that could be the key to freedom for his brother. All that's required is a simple act of murder.Meanwhile, Population Control's attack dog, a sadistic cyborg known as The Destroyer, closes in on Benson and his family. His directive: Kill them all.Faith, family and love will be pushed to the limits in the GRIPping sequel to Slip.
You can find Grip on Goodreads
You can buy Grip here:
- Amazon
About the Author:Author of popular YA dystopian series, the Dwellers Saga and the Country Saga. Voted books to read if you enjoyed the Hunger Games on Buzzfeed and Listopia.
Join 2,400+ David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite in David Estes' official fan group at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/70863-david-estes-fans-and-ya-book-lovers-unite
David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. David grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife. They now live together in their dream location, Hawaii. A reader all his life, he began writing novels for the children's and YA markets in 2010, and started writing full time in June 2012. Now he travels the world writing with his wife, Adele. David's a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.
You can find and contact David here:
- Website
- Goodreads
There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Slip. These are the prizes you can win:
- Winners choice of book to the value of $15.00 U.S. from The Book Depository
- A signed copy of SLIP plus bonus swag- U.S. entrants only
- A signed copy of BREW plus bonus swag- U.S. entrants only
- 3 ebook packs with three David Estes ebooks of your choice
- 4 signed packs of bookmarks
a Rafflecopter giveaway
