Showing posts with label blogtour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogtour. Show all posts

Monday, May 16, 2016

Blog Tour: The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Problem with Forever
by
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young-adult, Contemporay, Romance
For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard. 


"Forever was something we all took for granted, but the problem with forever was that it really didn't exist."
I thought this was going to be too cheesy to handle kind of contemporary romance. I didn't realize I was in for a treat on this book. The problem with forever was... Wow. The first contemporary romance book I've read from JLA. Everything I've read from her always has a touch of paranormal and fantasy, and boy was I blown away.

"Words were not the enemy or the monster under my bed, but they held such power over me. They were like the ghost of a loved one, forever haunting me."
Mallory Dodge, had a tough childhood. She's an orphan. She never got the chance to knew who her real parents were and knew the reason why they gave up on her. She grew up in a lifeless home who adopt children just to get the money but doesn't really give a crap on the adopted child. To say that it was horrible was an understatement, it was traumatic. She lived on a house where the supposed to be father of the house is a drunken bastard who beat a child for being a pain in the ass and a mother who is always too numb and too low on drugs. It was the reason why speaking, or giving voice on her thoughts was so hard for her. It was until the Rivases stepped on the story and adopted Mallory and treated her as their real daughter that she gets to have her second chance in life.
"Our story was something straight out of an Oprah special or an ABC Family movie. Unreal. Saying thank you would never be enough after everything they had done for me."
However, the scars from her past was still there to haunt her, restricting her to speak her mind freely. She believe that she's defective, something that needs to be fixed and she's afraid it will stay forever.

Then come the characters. If you've been reading JLA's book for quite sometime now, I'm sure you'll agree with the fact JLA's character was usually kick-ass, physically strong and dependable. I'm afraid you won't meet that kind of character in this book, because Mallory, the MC, is a weak character that has suffered traumatic events growing up. Speaking, which should have been as easy as breathing for some people except ofcourse if you're mute, was something hard for her.

"My name is Mallory… Dodge." I drew in a deep breath, speaking to no one. ''And I like… I like reading. And I don't like… I don't like who I am."
Characters like her are usually a pain to read POV's with, but with Mallory, I can't help but sympathize with her and be proud with the growth she had throughout the events of the book.

Now comes Rider. This is one thing I can say is very familiar with JLA's book, because just like the hero from most of her books, Rider is a swoon worthy character. He's mysterious and handsome and strong, he's Mallory's savior growing up, but of course, beneath he's hotness hides a scared and soft and troubled boy who is also looking for love and people who have faith in him.

The Problem with Forever is different to what I'm used at reading from JLA a good different. She nailed the contemporary and emotional part of this book. It's obvious that the author made a thorough research about anxiety, traumatic experiences and even about adoption. The feelings involved were real and raw and heart-breaking. I guess I'll just have to end this review by sharing one of my favorite quotes from this book.

"Love scared the hell out of me. I didn't want the heartbreak."
This book was more than a story of a lost love that was eventually found again, but I still picked this quote out of hundreds of quotable ones because it personally hits me. The problem with forever will teach its readers, how to accept past as part of present and how not live with denial and regrets. Truly heart-touching and heart warming. Do I need to say it? Of course I highly recommend this to everyone!


Book Links:

# 1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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Monday, January 4, 2016

Blog Tour: Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer


Thicker Than Water
by
Brigid Kemmerer
Genre: Young-adult, Dystopian, Romance
Release Date: December 29th 2015 by Kensington Books
On his own

Thomas Bellweather hasn’t been in town long. Just long enough for his newlywed mother to be murdered, and for his new stepdad’s cop colleagues to decide Thomas is the primary suspect.

Not that there’s any evidence. But before Thomas got to Garretts Mill there had just been one other murder in twenty years.

The only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, little sister to three cops and, with her soft hands and sweet curves, straight-up dangerous to Thomas. Her best friend was the other murder vic. And she’d like a couple answers.

Answers that could get them both killed, and reveal a truth Thomas would die to keep hidden…

Buy Links:

"Loneliness is a funny disease. You don't realize how badly you're infected until someone gives you a shot of contentment-and then it wears off."
I knew I made the right decision to read this book just after reading the first page of the this book in the midst of having a book slump. You rarely meet a book that can grab and hold your attention that fast, but Thicker Than Water did it so effortlessly, at least for me. You see before this book, I've read like 2 books and I can't seem to finish them in a span of a week. Those books just won't hold my attention. I thought maybe there's a problem with me, but when I finally decided to read this book, I realize it wasn't me after all since I have no problem engaging with this book, at all.

I have been a fan of Kemmerer ever since I've read her Elemental series. The dual POV and great characterization in her books were some things I really liked in her novels. She gives every character these unique personalities that make them standout in my mind, and that is one of the best thing to win me over because characters usually make or break a YA book for me and this book obviously passed that department with flying colors!

The story follows Thomas Bellweather , a seemingly cold and unaffected teenage boy who is just new to town that became a main suspect of a murder - of his own mother. Even though there weren't any evidence, people treat him like he already did it. Everywhere he goes suspicious glares follow him around, making his life harder and harder to live.

Then there goes Charlotte Rooker, the only person in town, that is brave enough to approach and talk to him. But the girl is trouble, she might only bring him more misfortune than he already have. Because Charlotte has 3 older brother that is a cop, who probably is the most suspicious of him after the crime. Charlotte doesn't seem like it, but she can kick your ass if it comes down to it. I admire how she can be hormone-driven teenage girl and then be suspicious all at once.
"Fear is a quiet friend, sneaking up to its fingers between mine."
She's actually afraid of Thomas and quite suspicious as well, but doesn't seem to find the courage to stay away from him. Hormones at work if you ask me. Anyway, Charlotte annoys the shit out of me at first, but her character growth throughout the book was remarkable I've eventually liked her along the way. Both of them work their way around to solve the mystery of the crime that will led them to the dangerous answers they both so desperately seek.

I've devoured this book like a child would on her first ever ice-cream experience. I enjoyed solving the mystery and secrets with the main characters. The only thing that taken me off-guard was the ending. Sure, it was action pack and all, but I think it was lacking, I don't know if there's going to be a second book, I think the probability is higher with how the things ended. Not that I wouldn't like a sequel but I think a couple more or pages and the novel could have ended well. The only problem I had but everything about this book is more than worth reading.

Thicker Than Water is everything I've ever wanted in my paranormal mystery read. This book kept me up at night when I'm supposed to be sleeping. Thriller and mystery aren't my type of thing, but I might make an exception with this book. If you love mystery and paranormal books with unpredictable plot, then Thicker than water is definitely more than worth reading!


Thicker Than Water Excerpt
“People are staring,” I murmur.

“Let them stare.”

“Is this a service you provide?” I say, intending to tease, but my voice is too broken for that.

But she’s kind, so she takes the bait and runs with it. Her eyes are on the knot as she threads the fabric. “Absolutely. Tying ties, buttoning jackets . . . you should see me pin on a flower.”

I almost smile, but then her hands make the final loop. Satin slides against cotton, and then the knot hits my neck. Quick and sudden and tight. I can’t breathe.

I jerk the fabric out of her hand without thinking. My movement is too sudden. She stumbles back, catching herself against the wall.

I gasp, pulling at the knot of fabric. It’s barely tight, but I can’t stop myself.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” I choke out. This is insane. I need to get it together. The knot finally gives an inch. Air can’t seem to make it into my lungs. “It’s not even tight.”

I suck in a breath and sound like an asthmatic. I run a hand down my face. This is not getting it together.

“You all right, Char?”

It’s another cop in dress uniform, talking to Charlotte but looking at me like I’m a purse snatcher or something. No, looking at me like I’m a murderer.

This guy’s young, not much older than I am. His hair is military short, almost blond, and his eyes are just looking for trouble. I swear to god he’s holding his hand near his gun, and I’m tempted to fake him out, just to see if he’d pull it. Knowing my luck, he’d shoot me.

Right this instant, I’d welcome it.

“I’m fine, Danny,” Charlotte says. “This is Thomas. Stan’s new—”

“I know who he is.” Of course he does. Everyone in uniform probably does. I’m sure some of them still think I did it. But Danny takes the edge off by putting a hand out. “I’m sorry about your mother.”

I shake his hand. “Thanks.”

His grip is solid, almost too tight. He doesn’t let go, and I can tell he’d hold fast if I tried to pull free. “You want to tell me why you put your hands on my little sister?”

Oh. Now I get it.

Charlotte is looking worriedly between the two of us. “It’s fine, Danny—he didn’t touch me.”

“I saw him shove you.” His grip tightens. “You’d better watch yourself.”

His tone grates against my nerves and reminds me why I don’t like cops.

“He didn’t shove me,” Charlotte says.

“Watch myself?” I say to him. “It’s my mother’s funeral.”

He gives a little laugh, and he lets go of my hand, somehow making it feel like a shove. “Yeah, you look really broken up about it, taking the time to rough up a girl.”

My hands are in fists again, anger weaving its way through the less aggressive emotions. This narrow stretch of shade has turned too hot, almost stifling. I can smell my own sweat. I hate this suit.

Danny’s watching me, his eyes almost predatory. I’ve gotten in my share of scrapes, and I can read the signs. Dangerous potential rides the air. He wants to hit me.

My mother’s voice is like a whisper in my head. Behave yourself, Tommy.

I force my hands to loosen. Danny’s right, in a way. I did shove her. I shouldn’t have put my hands on her. Someone spends five minutes being kind, and I act like a caged animal. It takes a lot of effort to back down. “Sorry,” I say, turning away from them. “I didn’t mean to cause a problem.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to find my sister dead in her bed. Get me?”

Something snaps inside of me. Anger splits into fury. My fist swings.

I’m strong, and years of being the new kid taught me how to throw a punch. It’s stupid, and reckless, and my mother’s voice is screaming in the back of my skull.

Tommy! He is a police officer!

It sucks that he’s a cop, too, because he knows how to deflect a punch. He catches my arm and slams me into the wall of the church. My hand is pinned behind my back and I inhale brick dust. The tie drags on the bricks, too, pulling tight against my neck.

I am such an idiot.

He’s enjoying this. We’re the center of attention now. He’s probably hoping I’ll fight him so he can continue playing the badass.

I don’t want to fight him. This is her funeral. Her funeral. My throat is tight and my eyes are hot. Reason catches up with action and I’m swimming in a special blend of humiliation and shame.

I will not start crying right now. I will not.

Charlotte is smacking her brother, it sounds like. “Danny! Danny, stop it! What is wrong with you?”

Hot breath finds my neck, followed by a little shove. The bricks scrape at my skin. I expect him to hold me here, to suffer the judgmental stares of the crowd that I can hear gathering.

Or maybe he’ll tell Stan to keep me in line, or something equally demeaning.

Instead, he speaks low, just to me. “Did you get off on it? Think about it in the shower this morning? All hot and bothered for killing your mother?”

Rage flares, hot and painful, blinding me with fury. I jerk back, trying to break his hold, knowing it’s futile.

But suddenly I’m free. My head is buzzing, and he’s on the ground, yelling. Clutching his head. Charlotte is standing back, glancing between me and him, her breath quick.

Did I hit him? What just happened?

Before I can get it together, a hand falls on my shoulder, pushing me back against the wall. I feel metal against my wrist.
I freeze. Another one of these jerkoffs is cuffing me and talking about assault on a police officer.

Now Danny’s on his feet, talking about resisting arrest. He grabs my arm and drags me away from the wall. The crowd grows.

We’re heading for a police car.

I’m going to miss the funeral.

Brigid Kemmerer was born in Omaha, Nebraska, though her parents quickly moved her all over the United States, from the desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the lakeside in Cleveland, Ohio, and several stops in between, eventually settling near Annapolis, Maryland. Brigid started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years. (Though sometimes that just makes her sound nuts.)

Brigid writes anywhere she can find a place to sit down (and she’s embarrassed to say a great many pages of The Elemental Series were written while sitting on the floor in the basement of a hotel while she was attending a writers’ conference). Most writers enjoy peace and quiet while writing, but Brigid prefers pandemonium. A good thing, considering she has three boys in the house, ranging in age from an infant to a teenager.

While writing STORM, it’s ironic to note that Brigid’s personal life was plagued by water problems: her basement flooded three times, her roof leaked, her kitchen faucet broke, causing the cabinet underneath to be destroyed by water, the wall in her son’s room had to be torn down because water had crept into the wall, and her bedroom wall recently developed a minor leak. Considering SPARK, book 2 in the series, is about the brother who controls fire, Brigid is currently making sure all the smoke detectors in her house have batteries.
Brigid loves hearing from people, and she probably won’t refer to herself in the third person like this if you actually correspond with her. She has a smartphone surgically attached to her person nearby at all times, and email is the best way to reach her. Her email address is brigidmary@gmail.com.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Blog Tour: The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel


**Spoilers if you haven't read book one**


The Revolution of Ivy
(The Book of Ivy #2)
by
Amy Engel
Genre: Young-adult, Dystopian, Romance
Release Date: November 3, 2015 by Entangled Teen
Ivy Westfall is beyond the fence and she is alone. Abandoned by her family and separated from Bishop Lattimer, Ivy must find a way to survive on her own in a land filled with countless dangers, both human and natural. She has traded a more civilized type of cruelty--forced marriages and murder plots--for the bare-knuckled brutality required to survive outside Westfall's borders.

But there is hope beyond the fence, as well. And when Bishop reappears in Ivy's life, she must decide if returning to Westfall to take a final stand for what she believes is right is worth losing everything she's fought for.

Pre-order Links:


3 Stars

I just had a bitter sweet experience with The Revolution of Ivy. I started this with a bang. Ivy's strength and kick-assery(is that even a word? lol)was shown at the first part of the book that I can hardly put the book down. I knew right there and then that I was right to anticipate the release of this sequel regardless of the disappointment I had with The Book of Ivy.
"Out here we don’t always have the luxury of making moral judgments like right or wrong. Sometimes it is simply kill or be killed."
The revolution of Ivy, follows exactly where the first book has left off. Ivy found herself outside of the fence, with nothing but her own clothes to keep her warm. We finally get to see the kick-ass girl I was looking for in The Book of Ivy, it was refreshing. Until Bishop, the boy she was promised to marry, her husband, the boy she has fallen helplessly in love with, the one where her loyalty truly lies... has come barging in her life once more and turned the story into a freaking soap-opera.
"All I want to do is lie down beside him and weep, bury my face in his neck and breathe him in until my lungs are so full there's no room for anything else."
description

This series obviously wanted to focus on the characters growth, their thoughts, personalities and the relationship between the two main characters. Maybe because after I read the first book, I already expected it, and I actually think it was fine and different- like good different. However, when Ivy made a big deal out of it and actually wasted a lot of goddamn pages before sorting out their feelings.. it tends to get annoying.


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Thursday, September 24, 2015

Blog Tour + Giveaway: City of Wolves by Avery Burch




City of Wolves
by
Avery Burch
Genre: Romance, Fantasy and Paranormal
She's an elite. He's a wolf and an outcast. Their forbidden passion will move worlds.

Everyone knows that wolves love with a passion that can be dangerous. They imprint on a woman and never let her go. From the moment they love their female, they will kill for her, and die for her.

Lyla is more than rich. She's one of The Elite, a paranormal class that rules society with an iron fist. She arrives in Manhattan to begin training as an enforcer.

Zac is an orphan, an outcast, and a shifter. Turning into a wolf is an unforgivable crime in the elite regime. Enforcers hunt down and kill anyone who can shift.

When Zac and Lyla meet, they know love is hopeless, but their powerful attraction is simply too great. Fighting to overcome the ruthlessness of their society, Zac and Lyla learn that true love can overcome any obstacle, but not without dire consequences.

Shifter: City of Wolves is the first book in a paranormal romance series that features passionate romance, intensely real emotion, supernatural powers, and forbidden shifter love.

BOOK LINKS:

(Amazon | Goodreads)


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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Blog Tour + Book Review + Giveaway: Stepping Stones by Kacey Vanderkarr



Stepping Stones
by
Kacey Vanderkarr
Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Onnaleigh Moore is part of a plan—and it isn’t hers. When her brother dies in a car accident, Onna is desperate to preserve the tatters of her family. Any hope of finding normalcy vanishes when her mother runs off and her dad turns to booze to numb his pain. Onna’s grief is crippling, but the boy who showed up just when she needed him is helping her cope.

Everett’s presence is comforting, though he knows things—Onna’s name just before they met, where she lives, and sometimes he comments on thoughts she doesn’t say aloud. She pegs him for a stalker, or maybe psychic, but the truth is deadlier than she imagines. As their feelings for one another deepen, Everett confesses a horrifying secret: Onna’s brother is only the beginning of the plan, and some fates are worse than death.

3 Stars

Just when I thought the worse is over, this book gave me the middle finger and screw my feels all over again.
"You never think about goodbye, you know? You say bye and I love you and I'll see you later, but we never know if it's the last time, if it's the final one that has to last forever. We take time for granted because we don't know the concept of finality until it happens to us."
Onna's life is slowly turning into ruins. She has been blinded with a happy and simple family she grew up with that the divorce news of her parents has been a huge blow for her. She thought she already got it hard, little did she know that it's just the beginning.
"The gauze, she thought, was just like her house. You could cover the wounds, make them hide behind cloth, but they still hurt."
I could have finished this book in one sitting, but I didn't. I don't think my heart could've handle how poignant this book is. The emotions conveyed in this book were real and very heartfelt. I ache and cried with Onna. I don't think anyone should experience what happened with Onna's life. It's unimaginable.


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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Haunted Echoes by Emma Bloom

hauntedechoes Haunted Echoes
by
Emma Bloom
(Website|Facebook|Goodreads)
Publication Date: July 20th, 2015
Format: eARC

Freak!

Oddball!

Crazy!

Loser!

The world sees Abby as unsavory, making her feel isolated. But she most certainly isn’t alone. Everywhere she turns she hears disembodied voices, sees things move as if by unseen hands. Bullies constantly torment her, threatening what remains of her sanity. Her mother is too busy trying to fix her craziness to see what is truly happening. Abby is tired of the world around her, and wants nothing more than to escape. When her life spirals out of control, she is invited to Hildebranch Academy, a school for spirited kids like her. Can Abby learn to live a normal life?

4star

"She would have given anything to be normal. Her oddities were what made her standout. Maybe they were right. It was entirely possible that Abby was crazy. Why did she have to be born this way? What good could come of the spirited voices which continued to plague her? What did someone even do with this? All it had brought her was pain and delusion."
You know you've just read a great book when it has provoked strong feelings from you as a reader.. And I just had a bitter sweet experience with Haunted Echoes.

You see, when I'm reading, I always try to relate to the characters, and I can't do that to Abby- atleast at the beginning. She's weak, overly dramatic and whiny for my taste. That was why I think she's a perfect target for the bully kids. She wanted somebody else to make her life easier.
"Abby couldn't help thinking if she knew about the bullying problem in the school, why didn't she do something about it. She was a teacher after all."
I don't like the way she blamed other people to what happened in her life.
"If only my mom had made me feel it was ok to be me.....
If she hadn't treated my like I was making things or acting out all those years ago, it would have been easier to face the horrors of my everyday life..."
But then, I thought maybe I was being hard and unfair to Abby. I mean, I have never been bullied, even though I grew up with no parents, my aunts were there for me, they have been the constant companion I had and they never made me feel alone, and lastly, I don't hear ghostly voices like Abby does, so I probably should give the girl a break. Abby doesn't have a friend or a parents to confide what she's been going through. Her mother doesn't believe her about the voices..
"Abby still remembered her words. "Stop playing with your imaginary friends, Abigail. It's time to grow up already."
It's kinda hard to confide to a person who doesn't believe you. The bully kids torment her life in every way possible it made me angry. I wanted to yell and shook Abby on the shoulder and slap her to make her realize that no one will be bullied if no one will allow it! Meghan is creepy and a bully. The things she do to Abby are not something a sane teenager girl would've been able to do. I thought it was disturbing and insane - turns out she was.

Abby's growth throughout the duration of the book was commendable. Her mother's faith and love to her helped her get past one of the worst chapters in her life. Maybe the worst is not yet done, but atleast she wouldn't have to face it alone. She has friends now in Hildebranch Academy, where she was eventually sent to learn more of her ability.

Sometimes we overlook things, or maybe it was just me. When I was reading the bully encounters Abby had, I saw Meghan as a rich brat girl who bully people who's beneath her just because she can - an immature act. And boy was I so wrong. 

After reading this book, I felt the need and want to personally meet Abby, I want to apologize to her, I want to hug her so hard and be her friend and tell her that she needs to be strong and I want to assure her that everything's going to be alright.. This was the reason why I liked this book. Not because I was entertain. No, I liked Haunted Echoes because it made me feel all sorts of feels, very heartfelt it made me cry, and it taught me not to judge people just because you could've done things better. 

Romance: What the hell is romance? That girl have enough problems like proving her sanity and trying to survive highschool that flirting is not on her highest list... JK.. Actually there's this guy the girl might have a silly little highschool crush on, but it was short lived, because the guy might have serious issues going on too. So yeah, that sums up her romantic experience, which I liked better. Atleast I was saved with the frustration of insta love by a supposedly troubled teen. But we may see more of that in the sequel of this book which I'am really looking forward to! **Wink

Overall: I Highly Recommend this book to everyone.


Author Emma Bloom, that’s me! I was born in southern Illinois and am the youngest in my family. From an early age I found a great love for reading and dreamed of one day creating books that would capture the minds of young readers. I am an avid lover of all things paranormal, even though I admit I’m the first to duck and cover in a haunted house.

Find Emma: (Website|Facebook|Goodreads)


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Disclaimer: Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours for providing all of the information. None of these belong to us. Also to Netgalley, for accepting my request after this tour was organized. The eARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.


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