Blog Tour: Arrows by Melissa Gorzelanczyk – Review + Dream Cast + Giveaway

 

Arrows

By: Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Release Date: January 26th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy, Mythology, Retellings, Romance, Fiction

My Rating: 3 Stars

Synopsis:

A modern cupid story set in present-day Wisconsin combining the fantastical elements of Greek mythology with the contemporary drama of MTV’s Teen Mom.

People don’t understand love. If they did, they’d get why dance prodigy Karma Clark just can’t say goodbye to her boyfriend, Danny. No matter what he says or does or how he hurts her, she can’t stay angry with him . . . and can’t stop loving him. But there’s a reason why Karma is helpless to break things off: she’s been shot with a love arrow. 

Aaryn, son of Cupid, was supposed to shoot both Karma andDanny but found out too late that the other arrow in his pack was useless. And with that, Karma’s life changed forever. One pregnancy confirmed. One ballet scholarship lost. And dream after dream tossed to the wind.

A clueless Karma doesn’t know that her toxic relationship is Aaryn’s fault . . . but
he’s going to get a chance to make things right. He’s here to convince Danny to man up and be there for Karma. But what if this god from Mount Olympus finds himself falling in love with a beautiful dancer from Wisconsin who can never love him in return?

This fast-paced debut novel explores the internal & external conflicts of a girl who finds herself inexplicably drawn to a boy who seemingly doesn’t reciprocate her feelings, touching on the issues of love, sex and responsibility, with a heroine struggling to control her destiny–perfect for fans of Katie McGarry’s novels and MTV’s 16 and Pregnant.

I was so excited to read this book! It’s very fast paced and easy to read, which had me finishing it in one sitting. This book is made up of some of my favorite YA sub-genres; Greek Mythology, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic-Fiction, & Retelling. I really like how the author combined it all in such a short book. It’s definitely a unique book, but I had a few problems with it; which kept me from really loving it. Nonetheless, I recommend it if you love some realistic reading, along with an adorable Cupid that will make you swoon. 

 

Right off the bat, we are thrown right into the path of Cupid’s arrow. Well, Aaryn isn’t Cupid, he’s the son of Eros. He’s about to give his big finale in his run to be the next Cupid. This is a big deal for the son of the God of Love. Only, Aaryn shoots one of his targets, changing the life of one Karma Clark. He screwed up big time, but is intent on lying to cover his mistake, but it all backfires. I smelled something fishy as soon as it happened. I knew someone must have thrown a wrench in Aaryn’s plans, causing him to fail in his father’s eyes. Totally humiliating.

 

Karma – Very talented dancer. As she was the only one shot with Cupid’s arrow, she is the only love struck one in the relationship. That night changed her life, and we get to see exactly what Aaryn’s mistake cost her. She’s in a one sided relationship with a prick known as Danny. In the grand scheme of things, Danny’s behavior should be looked over because he didn’t get shot with the Arrow, so he’s basically ignoring Karma and his responsibilities. Well, that’s what many readers would think, anyways. Danny is just a jerk and I really hate his character. Not only is he emotionally manipulative towards Karma, but he ignores the person that matters most – his daughter. Yeah, it takes two to tango, and all that jazz. Teen parenting is hard. It’s especially hard when its a single parent doing all the work. I’ve watched family and friends go through it, and it is a hard thing to do. I won’t spoil all that happened, but I do think there could have been more done with this story in regards to the teen parenting aspect.

 

Aaryn – He’s the most adorable Wannabe-Cupid there ever was! He totally had me turning the pages. I wanted to see how he intended to rectify his mistake and turn this story around. Being sent to Earth to live as a human, and to get Danny to see the error of his ways? Heck yeah, this was too good to not keep turning the pages. Aaryn was out of his element, but he learned a lot about love during his exile. Does true love really exist? Just wait for it. The ending surprised me.

 

My problem was the mythology. Do I think it could have been more thought provoking? Yes. It was really cute, which is what I guess the author was aiming for, so I can’t really complain about it all. I wanted to explore more with everything in this book, because it just wasn’t long enough. Overall, this is a cute, fast paced story that will keep you reading until the end. 

*Hover over images for cast names*

Brant Daugherty as Aaryn

Sarah Hyland as Karma

Alexander Ludwig as Danny

Bella Thorne as Peyton

Hailee Steinfeld as Leah

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Melissa Gorzelanczyk is a former magazine editor and columnist who believes love is everything. She is a proud member of the SCBWI, The Sweet Sixteens and the Class of 2k16. She lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with her husband and family.

 

Optional: Her debut novel ARROWS is being published by Delacorte Press on January 26, 2016. She is represented by agent Carrie Howland of Donadio & Olson.

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