Monday, July 27, 2015

Book Review—Siren’s Fury

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About the Book

“I thrust my hand toward the sky as my voice begs the Elemental inside me to waken and rise. But it’s no use. The curse I’ve spent my entire life abhorring—the thing I trained so hard to control—no longer exists.”

Nym risked her life to save Faelen, her homeland, from a losing war, only to discover that the shapeshifter Draewulf has stolen everything she holds dear. But when the repulsive monster robs Nym of her storm-summoning abilities as well, the beautiful Elemental realizes her war is only just beginning.

Now powerless to control the elements that once emboldened her, Nym stows away on an airship traveling to the metallic kingdom of Bron. She must stop Draewulf. But the horrors he’s brought to life and the secrets of Bron are more than Nym bargained for. Then the disturbing Lord Myles tempts her with new powers that could destroy the monster, and Nym must decide whether she can compromise in the name of good even if it costs her very soul.

As she navigates the stark industrial cityscape of Bron, Nym is faced with an impossible choice: change the future with one slice of a blade . . . or sacrifice the entire kingdom for the one thing her heart just can’t let go.

My Review: 5

With so much going on lately, I completely forgot to get this review written, but here it is, finally.

Siren’s Fury drew me in immediately. How could it not after the insanely torturous cliffhanger of book one, right? Like Storm Siren, this book was quite different from anything I’ve read before. I don’t say it’s for everyone. It’s pretty dark, and stuff surrounding the villain is pretty creepy. So, if that’s not your thing, then you probably won’t enjoy it.

That said, I thought it was a fascinating book. About three quarters of the way in, I wasn’t sure what I was going to rate it because so much of it was so depressing, but the end, wow. I thought the end was great. Initially I gave the book four stars when I first finished, but considering the amount I thought about it afterwards, I’ve decided to bump it up to five because of the ending.

What I particularly loved about the story was the lesson I took away from it. Whether it was Mary Weber’s intention or not, what I drew from it is the dangers of taking matters into your own hands and doing whatever you can, even if you’ve been warned against it, to change something. That was Nym in this book. While she was doing it to try to save someone, she ventured into a lot of dangerous territory. And that can be us, can’t it? We want something or want to change something so bad that sometimes we take matters into our own hands instead of trusting God for the outcome. Such decisions can be disastrous and dangerous.

And my very favorite part of the book was right at the end (and perhaps this is somewhat spoilerish, so you may want to stop here until you read it) where it showed how love was more powerful than all the evil and darkness. That was the part that made me go, “wow.” Because, after all, love is that powerful. It’s Jesus love that led Him to die for us. Love is more powerful than evil and darkness. So, while this might not be the sort of overtly Christian book I normally read, I highly appreciate the truths that were woven into the story.

I received a copy of this book free from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

Friday, July 24, 2015

7/7/7 Writing Challenge

I was nominated by Tricia Mingerink to participate in the 7/7/7 Writing Challenge. I may have been nominated by someone else once in the past as well, but it has escaped my memory. :P But, I’m finally getting around to doing it.

These are the rules:

  • Go to page 7 of your WIP
  • Scroll down to line 7
  • Share the next 7 sentences in a blog post.
  • After the excerpt, tag 7 other writers to continue the challenge.

Like Tricia, I am currently writing one book and editing another, so they’re both sort of WIPs. Following Tricia’s example, I shall share an excerpt from Samara’s Peril (which I’m editing) and one from Ilyon – Book 5 (which I’m writing).

Samara’s Peril:

Jace could not bear to look at Kyrin, unable to face what thoughts might be evident in her eyes. Yet, now that he’d come this far, he had to finish his story.

“After I killed him, I was punished and thrown into confinement. I was there for a day or two . . . I’m not sure, but when they pulled me out I was sold to the man who made me a gladiator. I faced thirty-eight opponents.” He clenched his teeth. “Thirty-eight . . . and nineteen times it was to the death.”

Book 5:

But as anxious as he was to get to the cabin and start working, first he had to attend the meeting. The lack of food did deeply concern him. If they had a smaller group, it wouldn’t be as serious, but between everyone here and the other two camps that were even bigger, they had close to four hundred mouths to feed, plus the dragons. To gather that much food when game was so scarce was becoming an ever-greater challenge.

Along with the others from his cabin, he walked toward the meeting hall. A good fire burned in the fireplace when they stepped in, dispelling the chill outside.

So there you go. Little sneak peeks at future Ilyon books. ;)

As for tagging, I’m really behind on who’s done what on their blogs, so most bloggers I follow have probably already been tagged. Instead, if you haven’t been tagged and would like to share, consider yourself tagged. ;)

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Half-Blood Blog Tour—Conclusion

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After a week of fun, the Half-Blood Blog Tour has reached it’s conclusion. Let me give a big thanks to all the bloggers who participated. I was really quite scared to release this novella since it is so sad, but you all have received it wonderfully. :) Despite the tragic-ness of if, I’m glad I could share a look into Jace’s bask story. Especially with book three, a heavily “Jace book” coming up. I’m hoping Half-Blood will add even more meaning to what he goes through in Samara’s Peril.

Now, if you’ve just discovered this post and missed the tour, here’s a recap of all the wonderful posts.

Reviews

“I really enjoy Jaye L Knight’s writing! This was the first book I read by her, and I was not disappointed.” ~ Sierra at 26 Countless Possibilites

“If you call yourself any kind of fan of Jaye Knight's work, then you simply must read this book.” ~ Kiri Liz at Lianne Taimenlore

“Jaye, as per usual, is stellar at drawing the reader into the story; I felt like I was right with Jace at every turn, feeling his grief, fear, pain – and hope.” ~ Meagan at Crumpets 'n' Cream

“’Half-Blood’ is everything I thought it would be and more.  It is heartbreaking, suspenseful, cringe-worthy, and full of tears-inducing scenes.  Yet, it was perfect.” ~ Tialla at Tialla's Tellings

“This powerful novella will answer many of the questions that readers have about Jace, as well as give them a deeper glimpse into his character.” ~ Sarah at The Destiny of One

“It would be misleading to say that I exactly loved it, and I could not recommend it to everyone. At the same time, the book was fantastic.” ~ Athelas at Red Lettering

“This is a novella and would be a quick read if it wasn't so tear jerking but the beautiful end assures us that there is always hope in God's world!” ~ Ants and Epic at Sutori no Hana

“My favorite part of the book was the second half, of course. It was so amazingly full of hope. The horrible hopelessness of Jace’s life of slavery made hope – when it came – so much brighter, in contrast. It was so beautiful.” ~ Amanda at Scattered Journal Pages

“Not having read any of the Ilyon books, I opened Half-Blood curiously, not knowing what to expect.  This book both satisfied that curiosity and aroused more curiosity about Jace's future.” ~ Melody at The Splendor Falls on Castle Walls

“I loved this book! Yes, it was sad. But many of us fans asked for Jace’s story before Resistance, and we had to know it wasn’t going to be a happy one. I found it heart wrenching to read his story, yet I quite enjoyed it.” ~ Alyssa at writinganyone

“One of its strongest points is that it tied into Resistance most excellently. I was riveted from the moment I knew that the two books had begun to intersect, and that continued through to the end.” ~ Erika at Written Rest

“Read the book. Seriously.” ~ Tricia at The Pen of a Ready Writer

“This book is a tough read. While not overly graphic, Jaye does not shy away from painting a picture of the true bleakness of Jace's previous existence. For it really is more of an existence than a life. But as horrible as it is, it only makes the good mean so, so much more.” ~ Morgan at Morgan Elizabeth Huneke

“This is not a story that begs for pity, nor is it a heroic fight to overcome and conquer. It is a story of survival, and Jaye L. Knight makes it feel very realistic.” ~ Serena at Poetree

“Ok, I’m amazed. A prequel novella I enjoyed.” ~ David at Reality Calling

“Ah, poor Jace! The deep despair of his gladiator life, and then the wonderful turning point bring a stark contrast. The feeling of hope is that much more wonderful after the horrors Jace had been through.” ~ Natasha at Through My Lens

“Like Jaye's other books, Half-blood is fantastically written with well thought out plot and characters.” ~ Alea at Elvish Pens, Fantastical Writings

“This. Book. Was. Great.  Every book I have read by Jaye L. Knight was not a disappointment.  Half-Blood is right up there with her other books.” ~ Mickayla at Pencils Can Change the World

Half-Blood is not a light read. It is a story of the abuse Jace suffered before he came to be with the followers of the King. It is far from being a stand alone story, as it can only be appreciated after having experienced Resistance. However, it is well worth the read.” ~ Rebekah at Backing Books

“’Half-Blood’ gets five stars because it is magnificently written, and full of heart. It is a marvelous story, just heart-wrenchingly sad, mainly because of the subject. But it helps us understand Jace so much more, which is so lovely.” ~ Raechel at God's Peculiar Treasure Rae

“If you have read any of the books in the Ilyon Chronicles, this one is a must-read. Not only is it a look into the life of Jace as he grew up, but it’s also a great lesson in how to treat others.” ~ Faith at Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections

Author Interviews

Book Spotlights

Once again, thank you to everyone who participated in the release of my first novella! And now, what many of you are probably waiting for . . .

Giveaway Winner!

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The winner of the Half-Blood prize pack is Griffin! Congratulations, Griffin! I’ve sent you an email to get your address so I can ship your prize.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Half-Blood is now available!

Well, this has been a crazy couple of months. These last couple of weeks have been especially busy. As many of you know, I was away at Lifest last week with my brothers and our cousin who drove seven hours to come camp out with us. We had a marvelous time together and I loved getting to see so many of my favorite artists. I’m already looking forward to next year.

But, that’s not the point of this post. The point is that Half-Blood is now available!! It’s my very first novella. I’m really excited to be able to share Jace’s backstory, though very tragic. There will be several stops on the blog tour this week celebrating it’s release. I feel like I’m super behind on everything since I was away until yesterday, but blog tours are always great fun. I also have a fun giveaway going on this week! So keep reading to check out all the fun! :)

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About the Book

The gasps and murmuring grew. Though some were hardly more than whispers, clear words reached Jace’s ears—dangerous, monster, animal, soulless. He tried to back away from their accusing eyes, but the collar pulled hard against his throat and held him in place.

For all his years as a slave, Jace has known nothing but the hatred people hold for his mixed blood—one half human, the other half the blood of a race considered monsters. Always, he is the outsider and quickly learns it is better to keep to himself. But, when his volatile ryrik blood leads him to do the unthinkable, he is thrown into a world of violence and bloodshed.

Forced to become a gladiator, Jace finds more and more of his heart dying as his master works to break down his will not to become the monster everyone believes he is. When a stranger interferes with his master’s harsh punishment, Jace’s world is upended yet again. But with it comes the possibility of hope that has long since died. Could the man possibly hold the key to escaping the hopeless darkness that is Jace’s life? Is there such a thing as life beyond the cruelty of slavery?

See where Jace’s story all began . . .

Buy Now
Kindle ~ Paperback ~ Autographed Copy

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If you haven’t discovered the world of Ilyon yet, you can find out more at the official Ilyon Chronicles website!

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Giveaway

Enter to win a themed giveaway pack! Prizes include an autographed copy of Half-Blood, a blue feather bookmark hand crafted by me, a bronze sword pendant, and a $5 Amazon gift card! (Giveaway is open to US residents only. Cannot be shipped internationally.)

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Tour Schedule

Tuesday, July 14

Wednesday, July 15

Thursday, July 16

Friday, July 17

Saturday, July 18

Sunday, July 19

Monday, July 20

Tuesday, July 21

Wednesday, July 22

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Implant—Cover Reveal

I have a cover reveal for all of you! Cover reveals are always such fun, aren’t they? Today I’m sharing the cover of J. Grace Pennington’s upcoming book, Implant.

Implant

Cool, right? I like the simplicity of it, and I LOVE the effect of the title. It certainly makes me curious to see what story it holds. :)

About the Book

Welcome to the world of a universal cure.

Gordon Harding didn't ask for the life he has. He didn't ask to be orphaned. He didn't ask to go through life with cancer. And he certainly didn't ask to be pulled into a future world without warning--a world where every human being is controlled by means of a medical implant.

And when he learns that he's the only one who can destroy the base of operations, he's faced with an impossibly painful choice: either hide and let the world decay under this mysterious futuristic force, or rescue humanity from oppression, knowing that there's someone out there who is willing to use any means necessary to stop him.

Links

Website: www.jgracepennington.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jgracepenningtontheauthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jgracetheauthor
Designer's website: www.thebrightnessproject.com