by Samantha Durante
Series: Stitch Trilogy #1
Genres: Dystopian
Source: Author
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move. Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers. Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.
I love a good dystopian and when you mix in a little science fiction and paranormal woo-woo you have the ingredients for a spectacular new trilogy. Stitch delivered an 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 affect 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 look forward to going along for the ride.
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
kimbacaffeinate
Ooo i cannot wait to see what you think of it!
Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf
I am really excited about this one…it sounds like such an awesome blend of elements and I love books with a bit of mystery. I was hooked from the blurb and your review only confirmed that this is one to add to my wishlist!
kimbacaffeinate
hehehe…this was good though..i cannot help it..psst don’t look tomorrow it’s another amazing book!
kimbacaffeinate
hahaha..I cannot tell a lie and I’ve been reading super slow this week with family here!
Kristin Clifton
I’m with Christy – I’ve never heard of this one before!!! You’re killing me!! You really need to read slower or something… or stop reading interesting books. Great review!!!
kimbacaffeinate
yes, yes I did!
Christy (Love of Books)
Well hell, this sounds great! You just had to go a make me add another book, didn’t you?
kimbacaffeinate
Oh I love dystopian 🙂
kindlemom1
This one sounds awesome!! I have to say, I am really loving the dystopian genre, way more than I ever thought I would when I discovered it earlier this year.
Great review!
kimbacaffeinate
thanks Kimberly, i really enjoyed this one.
Turning the Pages
Now this one sounds like a book I can get into. I’m going to have to read it great review!
kimbacaffeinate
me too 🙂
Christa
This sounds like an incredibly fun book! And I love sci-fi and dystopian. Especially when they’re mixed together
Nick
Awesome! Added it to my to-read list! 🙂
kimbacaffeinate
Nick…i think you would dig this one!
kimbacaffeinate
ooh I look forward to your thoughts!
Candace's Book Blog
This does sound good! I definitely love some good worldbuilding! I’m not adding anymore dystopians to the TBR until I get more read that I own, but this sounds like one I will definitely have to remember for the future!
kimbacaffeinate
Ha…i know all about that TBR pile..LOL
Denise Z
I recently got this and definitely have to move it up the TBR 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
kimbacaffeinate
Ooo would love to hear your thoughts on it.
kimbacaffeinate
It was really clever and I enjoyed it!
Blodeuedd
Too many books, too little time :/
kimbacaffeinate
It is light on the sci-fi, but it blends elements of that genre into the dystopian which makes it feel real.
Nick
A dystopian with sci-fi elements sounds very tempting! I’ve never heard of this series before, but looking at that cover I never would have though it was a dystopian.
The characters in this book seem very well-developed. Also, I’m glad to hear that the world-building is well done in Stitch. That’s the most important aspect of a dystopian for me!
Great review, Kim. I might have to add this to my to-read list!
Blodeuedd
If we do not buy any more books, borrow any books or review any books, then yes..but it will take time
kimbacaffeinate
I feel your pain, do you think we will ever read all of the books in our tbr piles??
Sharon - Obsession with Books
Wow, how had I not heard of this one! The premise sounds so unique and intriguing, you have me so curious – this one is going on my (never ending) TBR pile.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
kimbacaffeinate
this was good and I so hope you try it!
kimbacaffeinate
I did, and will be reviewing Shudder in June
Toni
I have a copy of this, and still need to read it. Glad to hear you liked it!
Barbara Walker
I’ve seen this one all over Goodreads in the last few days and I was wondering what was up with it! What a wild blend of genres, I like that it didn’t go the expected route and end up YA (which is what I assumed it was) too. I’ve become a fan of multiple perspectives lately so that doesn’t turn me off at all, even if it’s a little choppy – I have to agree with Christy and Kristin – is there a reason you’re torturing us???! Read something horrible! 😀
Trish Hannon
Great review, am downloading now 🙂 Sounds so promising.
kimbacaffeinate
Awesome…enjoy Trish!