Excerpt!
When I pull up to my house, a sob chokes the back of my throat. I slide off my bike and stumble toward the front door. I’m halfway across the yard when I notice the sleek silver car parked on the dirt road in front of our trailer, as if it were accidentally driven to the wrong side of town.
Zane steps out, and I am horrified. I glance down at my dirt-stained pants, bloodstained top, burned leg, and raw hands. I want to run inside and lock the door. Instead, I straighten up, wipe a palm across my sweaty face, and wait.
He walks toward me, and my heart pounds. Why do I feel sick to my stomach every time I see him? Like I might hurl at any moment?
“Sienna.” He says my name like it’s the sweetest thing in the world. It rolls off his tongue like butter and honey combined.
I’m tired. I’m drained. I’m scared. But seeing Zane gives me an unexpected surge of energy, and as he walks toward me, I think, It will all be okay.
He has a huge grin on his face, but as he draws closer, the grin fades. His eyebrows knit together, and he stares at me. “What happened?” He’s by my side before I have a chance to speak. He touches my face, my arms, and my hair. Each place he touches is like an electrical fire burning my skin. I collapse, and he catches me, drawing me to him. My head fits perfectly against his chest, and I breathe him in, an earthy, cedar mixture.
The dam bursts and the tears flow. I’m tired of being strong. I’m sick of proving myself.
Zane strokes my hair and kisses my forehead, his lips warm against my hot skin. My whole body longs for more, for his kisses to rain down on me. But instead, he lifts me gently and carries me into the trailer, placing me on the sofa. I want him next to me, but he moves to the kitchen.
Reality check, Sienna. He’s engaged.
Too pretty.
Too smart.
Too perfect.
In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose the characteristics of their children like ordering off a drive-thru menu, seventeen-year-old Sienna Preston doesn’t fit in. As a normal girl surrounded by genetically modified teenagers, all of her imperfections are on display. But after the death of her father, everything she’s ever known and loved changes in an instant.
With little skills to help provide for her family, Sienna clings to the two things that come easily—lying and stealing. But not all thief-for-hire assignments go as planned. When a covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, she becomes entangled with a corrupt government official who uses her thieving past as leverage, her mother as collateral, and the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for as bait.
In order to rescue her mother, there may only be one option—joining forces with the Fringe, an extremist group, and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad. Problem is, these revolutionaries aren’t what they seem, and the secrets they’re hiding could be more dangerous than Sienna is prepared for. In the end, she must be willing to risk everything to save the one thing that matters most.
Catalyst is a thrilling adventure of danger, romance, intrigue, and deception.
Author bio:
Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels. When she’s not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to chocolate, you can visit her at kristinsmithbooks.com.
Giveaway!
Hi Kendall! Thank you SO much for sharing the news about Catalyst on your blog! I really appreciate it! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome :)
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