{"id":1231,"date":"2018-11-29T07:00:56","date_gmt":"2018-11-29T11:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/?p=1231"},"modified":"2018-12-03T18:53:27","modified_gmt":"2018-12-03T23:53:27","slug":"book-blitz-valiant-by-merrie-destefano-november-29-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/book-blitz-valiant-by-merrie-destefano-november-29-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog Blitz: Valiant by Merrie Destefano"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"ubb-blog-tour-banner\"><a href=\"http:\/\/xpressobooktours.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ValiantBlitzBanner-1.png\" alt=\"Blog Blitz: Valiant by Merrie Destefano\"><\/a><\/p><p>Hi! Today&#8217;s post contains an excerpt from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/37638290-valiant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Valiant<\/em> by Merrie Destefano<\/a> plus TWO giveaways!!!<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/37638290.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Blitz: Valiant by Merrie Destefano\" title=\"Blog Blitz: Valiant by Merrie Destefano\" class=\"ubb-cover-image alignleft\"><strong>Valiant<\/strong> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/authors\/merrie-destefano\/\">Merrie Destefano<\/a> <br><strong>Published on<\/strong>  December 4, 2018 by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/publishers\/macmillan\/\">MacMillan<\/a> <br><strong>Genres:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/genres\/futuristic\/\">Futuristic<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/genres\/romance\/\">Romance<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/genres\/ya\/\">YA<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/genres\/fantasy\/\">Fantasy<\/a> <br><strong>Pages:<\/strong> 304 <br><strong>Add to <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/37638290-valiant\" target=\"_blank\">Goodreads<\/a> <br><blockquote class=\"ubb-synopsis\"><p>The Valiant was supposed to save us. Instead, it triggered the end of the world.<\/p>\n<p>Earth is in shambles. Everyone, even the poorest among us, invested in the Valiant\u2019s space mining mission in the hopes we\u2019d be saved from ourselves. But the second the ship leaves Earth\u2019s atmosphere, our fate is sealed. The alien invasion begins. They pour into cities around the world through time portals, possessing humans, forcing us to kill one another.<\/p>\n<p>And for whatever reason, my brother is their number one target.<\/p>\n<p>Now the fate of the world lies in the hands of me, a seventeen-year-old girl, but with the help of my best friend, Justin\u2015who\u2019s suddenly starting to feel like more\u2015maybe if we save my brother, we can save us all\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n\t\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t\"@type\":\"Review\",\n\t\"datePublished\": \"2018-11-29T11:00:56+00:00\",\n\t\"description\": \"Hi! Today's post contains an excerpt from Valiant by Merrie Destefano plus TWO giveaways!!!\\r\\n\\r\\n\\r\\n\\r\\n\\r\\n\\r\\nI'm participating in this book blitz through\\u00a0Xpresso Book Tours! Thanks for letting me be a\",\n\t\"publisher\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t\t\"name\": \"Kait Plus Books\"\t},\n\t\"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\\\/books\\\/book-blitz-valiant-by-merrie-destefano-november-29-2018\\\/\",\n\t\"itemReviewed\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Book\",\n\t\t\"name\": \"Valiant\",\n\t\t\"author\": {\n\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t\t\t\"name\": \"Merrie Destefano\",\n\t\t\t\"sameAs\": \"\"\t\t},\n\t\t\"isbn\": \"1640634266\"\t},\n\t\"author\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t\t\"name\": \"Kaity\",\n\t\t\"sameAs\": \"https:\\\/\\\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\\\/books\\\/\"\t},\n\t\"reviewRating\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Rating\",\n\t\t\"ratingValue\": false,\n\t\t\"bestRating\": \"5\"\n\t}\n}\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p>I&#8217;m participating in this book blitz through\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/xpressobooktours.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/xpressobooktours.com\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1543156161784000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGbdpw14Cbg_0bhJBQyljX1FNYCZg\">Xpresso Book Tours<\/a>! Thanks for letting me be a part of this!<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">EXCERPT<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I meet him in the park on the corner of Segerstrom and Douglas, halfway between his house and mine. The sun hovers on the horizon, turning the whole world orange and red, setting all the rusted playground equipment ablaze. The slide looks like it\u2019s made out of rubies, the merry-go-round looks like it\u2019s made from layers of gold, and the swing set\u2026well, it looks like it was created for this moment when it would hold a minor god.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Justin is human perfection\u2014literally\u2014because he\u2019s a Genetic, part of a military experiment that went awry more than a decade ago and had to be shut down. Before he was born, his parents won a government lottery to be part of an experimental program for Genetic Embryo In Vitro Enhancement. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every kid in the GEIVE program got a different genetic cocktail, but all those records have either been destroyed or are top secret, so no one knows exactly what Genetics can do. Justin made it out alive when most of the other kids didn\u2019t. And even though almost everyone else is either repulsed by or scared of him\u2014because of his height, his bulk, his speed and intelligence\u2014to me, he\u2019s only Justin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When we\u2019re together, I\u2019m only Sara. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\u2019s not a Genetic boy and I\u2019m not a girl who\u2019s supposed to save the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\u2019s one of my closest friends, and he hangs out with my little brother almost as often as he hangs out with me, and the sight of him takes my breath away.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I walk toward him at a normal pace even though I want to run.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\u2019s studying me, noting my posture, my expression. I want to tell him everything, that the last time I saw him, an army of Xua was chasing him and I couldn\u2019t fight them off. I tried, but that was when Aerithin came back for me. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Guilt washes over me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everyone I care about dies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m the worst friend in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He could change his mind this time. He could say, \u201cHey, you\u2019re like poison ivy, girl, stay away\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But he won\u2019t. He\u2019s been the one constant in my life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\u2019s the person who always makes me feel safe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He flashes me one of his heart-stopping grins and holds the swing next to him for me. I know other girls get weak in the knees looking at his muscles, even though they won\u2019t admit it, and, yes, that body of his is pretty sweet. But the thing about him that always gets me is his smile. I swear, it\u2019s brighter than the sun and it gives off the same amount of heat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As soon as I sit down, he knows. Not everything\u2014there\u2019s no way in the world he could know everything. He might be a Genetic, but he\u2019s not psychic. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His blue eyes study me; his dark hair is tucked behind his ears, a few strands hanging loose.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat is it?\u201d he asks. He hasn\u2019t let go of my swing yet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere\u2019s some bad stuff going on,\u201d I say, and I force my lips not to tremble. I don\u2019t want to cry, not now. \u201cAnd I need to tell you about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYeah? You know I\u2019m here for you. Doesn\u2019t matter what it is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He gives me a look that\u2019s so innocent and full of concern. He doesn\u2019t even know what I\u2019m going to ask and yet he\u2019s still willing to do it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I wish more than anything that we could talk about something else.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, I give him the same speech I gave to Natalie. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He blinks and nods, quiet. He doesn\u2019t even flinch when I tell him that I\u2019ve seen him die. The only part that gets him is when I tell him that sometimes we get separated and I don\u2019t know where he is. His face darkens and his brow lowers and he stares at the ground, almost as if he remembers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019ve never hurt you, have I?\u201d he asks. \u201cBecause I can\u2019t do this if I might hurt you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNo, you\u2019ve never hurt me, I promise.\u201d I take his hand in mine. \u201cYou try to save me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">GIVEAWAY ONE<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rafflecopter.com\/rafl\/display\/d04251232757\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enter this giveaway to win a PRINT COPY of <em>Valiant<\/em> by Merrie Destefano!<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">GIVEAWAY TWO<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rafflecopter.com\/rafl\/display\/1cb554951301\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enter this giveaway to win a prize pack including:<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<ul class=\"m_-5073279544277952840MailOutline\">\n<li>Kindle Fire 7, 8 GB in black<\/li>\n<li>Handmade Keychain with Valiant Cover<\/li>\n<li>A Valiant Card<\/li>\n<li>Valiant Chibi Stickers (1 set of 6 characters)<\/li>\n<li>Valiant Chibi Bookmark<\/li>\n<li>Valiant Bookmark<\/li>\n<li>Signed Valiant Book Plate<\/li>\n<li>Set of Valiant Quote Cards\n<ul>\n<li>Please note if the winner is international, a $50 Amazon gift\u00a0card will be substituted in place of the prize pack.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Will you read <em>Valiant<\/em> when it comes out next week? I added it to my never ending TBR because it sounds FANTASTIC!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1254 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/wellwishescandyfishes003.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/wellwishescandyfishes003.png 600w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/wellwishescandyfishes003-300x160.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi! Today&#8217;s post contains an excerpt from Valiant by Merrie Destefano plus TWO giveaways!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[509,484,27],"tags":[512,515,462,514,513,516],"reading-challenges":[],"class_list":["post-1231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-blitz","category-book-tours","category-giveaways","tag-book-blitz","tag-entangled-teen","tag-kait-plus-books","tag-merrie-destefano","tag-valiant","tag-xpresso-book-tours","book-author-merrie-destefano","book-publisher-entangled-teen","book-publisher-macmillan","book-genre-fantasy","book-genre-futuristic","book-genre-romance","book-genre-ya"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Valiant.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1231"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1436,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1231\/revisions\/1436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1231"},{"taxonomy":"reading-challenges","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reading-challenges?post=1231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}