Blog Tour & Character POV: Override by Heather Anastasiu

Today WinterHaven books is participating in the Override blog tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. 

Heather is joining us today with an exclusive guest post!  Take a look below to see a scene in Adrien's POV!  *swoon*

Adrien First Meets Zoe in the Community Marketplace (Adrien’s POV)

There she is. My heartbeat speeds up, just like it does every time I see her in my visions. She looks the same as all the other drones in her grey tunic, dragging her supply cart with her across the bustling Market Corridor. She freezes when the Link News comes on. Her face stills to a perfect mask of complacency. Then when it ends, she shuffles toward the Bread Dispensary.

I maneuver through the crowd and manage to get in line right behind her. Excitement skitters down my spine. I’m here. I’ve finally found her.

Hers was the face I saw in one of my first visions. I’d been so excited by the vision that I’d barely taken note of any details of the girl I’d seen stumbling through the forest. I had just run away from Mom’s at the time and joined up with the Resistance when I’d seen it.

I’d thought at first that working for the Resistance would mean using my visions to do some real good, to make lasting change. Instead it was mostly about grueling physical training, late night supply raids, and always keeping on the move whenever a safehouse got cracked. It hadn’t been that much different from Mom and me, always being on the run, except that keeping a group safe and fed was way harder than when it was just the two of us.

My second month, in a guy I was starting to be good friends with, Robi, died. Two Regs on patrol had noticed the movement in the warehouse where we were stealing supplies. I’d had a short-term vision of it about a minute before it happened, but we were already under heavy fire. I tried to pull Robi out of the way, but not before he was ripped apart by laser fire. I’d barely been able to make it out myself. It made me question everything. If my visions were worth anything at all. If I could help the Rez, or if we were all just doomed to die, with me always seeing it a moment before it happened but not able to stop it.

And then I had that vision of her.

I didn’t think much of it at first other than that I was excited to keep getting visions. I thought maybe she was just another Rez fighter, running to get away from a Reg. But she’d had the drone grays on. I didn’t mention it to anyone at first. It didn’t seem significant.

But then I had another vision, one that was so far off in the future it was only a hazy glimpse—she’d looked older, and she stood in the front of a whole room of Rez fighters barking orders. She was a leader. The vision had blinked out again almost as quickly as it came, but I knew it was important. That this girl was important.

And now here I am, only a foot away from her. I can smell the generic shampoo from her swinging ponytail of thick black curls. A few inches closer, and I’d feel the warmth of her skin. I can’t believe I’d finally found her after two years of searching. A month ago the vision had come clear as day of her entering her family’s housing unit, the unit number emblazoned on the hallway. I finally had a name to attach to the face that had been both haunting me and spurring me on: Zoel Q-24.

I’ve been following her ever since I got here a week ago. I knew it’s gnangy creepy of me to be stalking her, but I know that we have to meet somehow. I’m by her side in at least three of the visions I’ve seen. It’s how I was able to convince the Rez to let me do the infiltrating to try to get her out of the Community.

I stare some more at the back of her head. It feels so surreal that after two years, she’s close enough that I can hear her breathing. Then I frown, realizing that the rest of the line has moved forward, but she hasn’t.

“Subject,” I say, my voice sounding inordinately loud in my ears, “move forward.”

And then she turns and looks at me. But it isn’t just a quick disinterested glance. She pauses a moment and her mouth drops open slightly as our eyes meet. I’ve known she’s pretty from seeing the visions, but now, seeing her in person, watching how intelligent her brown eyes are and the way her porcelain skin seems radiant even under the harsh corridor lighting… she’s gorgeous.

But shunt, I’ve been staring too long. I carefully compose my features into a mask of disinterest and stare at the wall. She blushes slightly and swings back around front and take a step forward in line. I wonder if she’s glitching right now. My back stiffens in worry for her. She’s in danger here. Every day she stays is another day she could be discovered and hauled in for reprogramming, or worse, deactivation.

I get my bread from the dispensary, but I don’t follow her as she moves off. It’s not like I can pull her aside in this crowded place and say, “Hey, I’m with the Resistance, and everything you’ve ever been told your entire life is a lie and I know you’re a glitcher because I’ve seen visions of you. Oh, and by the way, I’m here to rescue you because you’re going to be a leader of the Rez one day!”

Yeah. I don’t see that going over too well. It’s good enough that I made first contact today. Hopefully I can sit close to her at the Academy tomorrow so she can get used to seeing my face around, get comfortable with me.

But as I turn to head back toward the subway, I feel my body freeze up as a vision hits.

The images flood my mind. Zoe and I are sitting together. In the next flash we’re even closer, and then the next image only confirms what I knew must happen next—our lips meet. I watch myself sink against her and reach my hands into her hair as we kiss. And then the vision fades and I’m left reeling.

I hurry onto the subway before anyone can notice anything anomalous about me, but my heart is beating a mile a minute.

How could I have been so blind? I’ve told myself that the reason I’ve been so obsessed with finding her is because she’s important to the future of the Resistance. But how could I have not seen that, even though I’ve never had a vision of us kissing before, I’ve really been chasing her because somewhere deep down, I’ve known all along she was going to be important to me?

*sigh*  I knew I loved Adrien and this only confirmed my love!  He is such a great character and after reading Glitch and Override I put him on my laminated list!  Heather thank you so much for taking the time to write this!!  You are amazing!!

   If this series is new to you then let me introduce you to the sequel Override!

Override by Heather Anastasiu
Release date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: St.Martins Griffin
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

Zoe is free. She has escaped the enslavement of the Community, disconnected from the hardware that had controlled her every thought and emotion, and evaded capture by the Chancellor intent on killing her. She is finally free, but she is far from safe.

Zoe and Adrien hide themselves from detection at the Foundation, an academy that trains teen glitchers to fight in the Resistance movement. Together, Zoe and her new team of superhuman fighters must risk their lives to rescue other glitchers and humans from the Chancellor's control. Challenges abound at every turn, and Adrien, who has become silent, distant, and tormented by his visions of the future, only adds to the growing certainty of defeat. But worst of all, as Zoe's team fights against impossible odds, distrust and betrayal leads to the terrible discovery that their greatest threat could already be lurking behind the safe walls of the Foundation.

Full of high-adrenaline action and shocking twists, Heather Anastasiu's Override is an exciting continuation of this popular young adult trilogy.

My Thoughts:
Holy mother of all that is holy!  What in the hale just happened!  Let me tell you this book is crazy good and then ending is just..it's just...OMG it is INSANE!!  Override is a quiet sequel with a lot of information thrown at you, but don't think you can skip this book.  The ending is something that you need to read and I am still in shock!

Override takes off pretty much where Glitch ended with Zoe joining the Rez with Adrian.  We get to see how she is adapting being away from the community and how hard it is for her to harness her telek powers.  I will admit that not a lot goes on in the beginning.  There are a few big scenes but for the most part we are left to learn more about glitchers and what the world is coming too.  Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the first part but the second half is where my mind was blown apart.  I can't even begin to tell you how many plot twists there are.  I know my mouth dropped open at least a dozen times and at this very moment it is still open over the ending.

I am still in love with these characters.  Zoe is determined to prove that she is worthy of her title and it was amazing to see her turn into the badarse that she is destined to be.  I think we will see a lot more of her determination in the next book and I say bring it!  She has a lot of weight on her shoulders but from just the glimpse we are given of her strength I know she will be the one to save everyone.  Adrian well I can't really talk about him but he is still my hero and I well my heart is broken right now so after I write this review I am going to go write a letter to Ms.Anastsiu BEGGING for the next book.  I can't leave this world the way it is!!

I thoroughly enjoyed Glitch and I have immensely enjoyed Override.  You know a book is good when you don't have to reread it to get into the sequel.  I remembered everything perfectly and I read Glitch last year so that in my mind marks a brilliant author!  Ms.Anastasiu you are amazing and I cannot wait to read Shutdown!  Which by the way I just saw comes out in July!  Please tell me this is true!!

5 Snowflakes

About the author:

Heather Anastasiu is the author of the young adult sci-fi novel, GLITCH (St. Martin's Press/Spring 2012). She recently moved to Minneapolis with her family, and when she’s not busy getting lost exploring the
new city, she spends most days writing at a café.
Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook

Wait 2 more things you need to know!!  To find out more about this amazing series check out the rest of the stops on the tour and also don't forget to enter to win a signed copy of both Glitch & Override!  There will be 3 winners!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One

Feb. 4th - Burning Impossibly Bright - Guest Post

Feb. 5th - Shortie Says - Interview

Feb. 6th - Bengal Reads - Review

Feb. 7th - WinterHaven Books - Character POV - Adrien

Feb. 8th - The Girl in a Cafe - Interview

Week Two

Feb. 11th - Paranormal Reads - Review

Feb. 12th - Books of Amber - Guest Post

Feb. 13th - Paulette's Papers - Review

Feb. 14th - The Book Belles - Guest Post

Feb. 15th - IB Book Blogging - Interview