Blog Tour- THE CAGE by Megan Shepherd Book Playlist and A Giveaway!

I am so excited to be hosting a spot on THE CAGE blog tour! I loved this book it was so different from Megan's other series and I can't wait to read the sequel. I have Megan's playlist and make sure to enter the giveaway below for a signed ARC and swag!
Haven't heard of THE CAGE? Check it out!

Title: THE CAGE

Author: Megan Shepherd

Pub. Date: May 26, 2015

Publisher: Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins

Pages: 400

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads

The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this gripping new series about teens held captive in a human zoo by an otherworldly race. From Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of The Madman's Daughter trilogy.

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage? 

Check out the book trailer!

Now on to the playlist! I'll add YouTube links for all the songs but will also add some videos of my favorites!

Book Playlist

One of my favorite forms of procrastination is to hunt out music that captures the spirit of a book I’m working on. For THE CAGE, I was looking for songs that had a sci-fi feel, with lyrics about feeling caged and wanting to escape.

MY BODY IS A CAGE, Arcade Fire. This song captures the feel of being exposed, and also because it talks about the difference between the mind and body, which is essential to 

the story.

 
E.T., Katy Perry. I first heard this song on the radio just as I had started writing THE CAGE. It’s not every day you get an alien love story song! Obviously it had to go on the soundtrack immediately.

BONES, MSMR. This song makes me think of a particular scene in THE CAGE, near the end, where Cora makes some shocking discoveries about their environment and their alien captors.

CASUAL AFFAIR, Panic! At the Disco. A reader first turned me on to this song, and I love its scifi vibe and lyrics about falling for someone you might not be able to trust.

COUNTINGSTARS, Sugarcult. This song fits a certain scene in the book where Cora feels like an outcast, torn between two different worlds, and haunted by her past.

TESSELLATE, Alt-J. I love the dangerous feel of this song and its lyrics about the unpredictability of life.

IN A CAGE,Black Belles. This song always makes me feel like I want to break out of my own cage. It’s the perfect fit for some of the more powerful scenes in the book.

METAL HEART, Cat Power. With lyrics like “It's damned if you don't and it's damned if you do. Be true 'cause they'll lock you up in a sad, sad zoo,” I couldn’t resist adding this haunting song as the playlist’s last track.

Thanks to my friends Jeremy, Jason, and readers for suggesting some of these songs! 

About Megan:

Megan Shepherd grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where her family has owned and operated an independent bookstore for over 35 years. Shepherd attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored in international studies and went on to live and work in Costa Rica, Senegal, Scotland, Spain, and many other countries. Now, Shepherd has returned to Western North Carolina and is a full-time writer of young adult novels.

She is represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary.

Author Photo by Kristi Hedberg Photography

Website/Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr/Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a signed ARC of THE CAGE with a CAGE bookmark and sticker sheet. US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the Tour Schedule!

Week One:

5/18/2015- No BS Book Reviews- Interview

5/19/2015- Me, My Shelf and I- Review

5/20/2015- Bewitched bookworms- Guest Post

5/21/2015- Seeing Double In Neverland- Review

5/22/2015- Novel Novice- Interview

Week Two:

5/25/2015- Fiktshun- Guest Post

5/26/2015- Bookish- Review

5/27/2015- The Eater of Books!-  Interview

5/28/2015- Such a Novel Idea- Review

5/29/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post