Check out my stop on the blog tour for Sting by Cindy R. Wilson from Entangled Teen!
by Cindy R. Wilson
Genre: YA Dystopian
Release date: March 3rd 2020
Entangled Teen
Summary:
They call me the Scorpion because they don’t know who I really am. All they know is that someone is stealing from people with excess to help people with nothing survive another day.
But then a trusted friend reveals who I am―“just” Tessa, “just” a girl―and sends me straight into the arms of the law. All those people I helped…couldn’t help me when I needed it.
In prison, I find an unlikely ally in Pike, who would have been my enemy on the outside. He represents everything I’m against. Luxury. Excess. The world immediately falling for his gorgeous smile. How he ended up in the dirty cell next to mine is a mystery, but he wants out as much as I do. Together, we have a real chance at escape.
With the sting of betrayal still fresh, Pike and I will seek revenge on those who wronged us. But uncovering all their secrets might turn deadly…
Excerpt
His fingers brush mine when he takes the knife, and I fight back
a shiver, trying to hold my ground.
“Scorpion,” he says softly.
I brace myself for more Pike wisdom, or maybe even a mention of the kisses
we’ve shared that we haven’t mentioned.
Instead, he smiles. “You’ve been a very good teacher. Are you sure you want to
do this?”
“Yes.”
“If you say so.”
He takes his stance, gaze zeroed in on the board. He’s wearing a simple blue
shirt, cut off at the shoulders, and his muscles flex when he lifts his arm.
I exhale just as he throws and the knife zooms to the board, hitting inside the
widest ring, but not in the middle.
His eyes narrow. I smile.
“I’d like to see you do this with a distraction,” he says.
My heart flutters, but I nod. “No problem.”
I step to the line, a whole head shorter than Pike. I feel his eyes on me. In
fact, he’s so close, I feel the heat from his body. But I’m focused, and all I
can see is the red circle I’m aiming for.
I squeeze the blade between my fingers and hold my breath, preparing to throw.
Pike blows on my neck.
Chills race across my skin even as I fling the knife. The blade hits the board
with a thud, straight in the middle.
Pike curses softly and shakes his head. I turn to him, unable to help the smile
stretching wide across my face. “See? I know a little something about focus.”
“I’m impressed.”
“Looks like you could use some practice.”
“What about on the mat?” He lifts an eyebrow. “Do you have focus there?”
Uh…no. But Pike doesn’t need to know that. “I have focus anywhere.”
He points. “Mat. Now.”
I lift my chin, toss the last knife at the board, and smirk when it hits the
center. Then I walk to the mat. I get into my stance before he joins me. I
wouldn’t put it past him to attack right away. Pike’s a big fan of not being
caught off guard, and he’s taught me accordingly.
Pike stalks the edge of the mat, knees bent. He feigns a lunge, then laughs
when I tense.
“You’re lucky I don’t have a knife,” I say, mock warning in my tone.
He takes a step closer. “Luck has nothing to do with it. It’s all about being
prepared. Besides, I don’t want a hole in my side like Mongo.”
“He deserved it.”
Pike gives me his dangerous smile and takes another step. Almost close enough
to reach me. “You’re not saying I deserve to be stabbed, are you?”
My chest vibrates with a low laugh, but I’m still on guard. “No, Pike. Not
today, anyway.”
His smile lights his eyes. And suddenly he stands fully, shoulders relaxing,
and closes the gap between us.
I draw in a sharp breath. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?”
His hands skim my arms, making me shiver. I lift my chin to meet his eyes, lips
parting slightly.
“Pike,” I say, my voice coming out breathless.
Then he sweeps my legs from beneath me. I hit the mat hard, banging my elbows.
I kick out and almost catch Pike’s leg, but he’s too fast. He bends and snags
my arm, twisting it behind my back as he pushes me flat on my stomach. My
breath whooshes out, but I don’t struggle. Crap. So much for proving I can’t be
distracted.
My Review:
Tessa aka the Scorpion is a modern day Robin Hood. She takes
from the rich and gives to the poor. Tessa is a good hearted person who likes
helping other people to survive. She will put her own life in danger if it
means saving one of her friends that have become like family to her. Tessa lost
her family a long time ago.
Tessa’s world is divided. The city she lives in is divided
with the lightsiders or the rich living in one half and the less fortunate or
the darksiders living in the other half. Tessa steals food and other supplies
from the lightsiders and gives it to the people who live in the darkside.
The lightsiders live in luxury not wanting for anything they
have plenty of food and light while the darksiders live in darkness with barley
enough food to keep them alive. It broke my heart to hear Tessa talking about
food that she had never heard of much less tried. I remember her saying that she had bread with
butter once. So sad.
But then Tessa’s life is turned upside down when she is
caught or turned in by whom she has no idea and put in prison. Tessa meets a
young man in prison, Pike and they become great friends. Pike is from the
lightside of the city. If she had met Pike outside of prison they would never
have become friends as they are from different sides of the city.
Tessa with the help of Pike makes plans to escape the prison.
Tessa is very determined that she will get out. She needs to check on Cass, a
little girl that she is taking care of. Cass like many others living in the darkside
has no family either well except for Tessa.
Tessa is a strong girl who always puts others before
herself. She is always thinking ahead but living in a world like hers she has
to if she is going to survive. She always tries to make sure she has the
supplies and the weapons needed to stay one step ahead of the Enforcers. She is
very good at throwing knives and hitting her target.
Once I picked up Sting I had a very hard time putting it
down. I love dystopian books. I loved the world that was created for Sting. I
would love to read more stories set in this world with Tessa, Pike, River,
Cass, Elle and many more. What are their stories? What is Pike’s story? Why was
he in prison? What is River’s story? How did he end up where he did? What about
Cass’s side of the story? What do all these characters have to say?
Sting is a great book that will touch your heart. If you
like books set in a dystopian society then this is one book you need to check
out.
About the Author
Cindy lives at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and loves using Colorado towns and cities as inspiration for settings in her stories. She's the mother of three girls, who provide plenty of fodder for her YA novels. Cindy writes speculative fiction and YA fiction, filled with a healthy dose of romance. You'll often find her hiking or listening to any number of playlists while she comes up with her next story idea.
Author Links:
Website: https://cindyrwilson.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CindyRWilson
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