Resistance Blog Tour!

I am very pleased to be part of the blog tour for Resistance by Jaye L. Knight, hosted by Amber Stokes of Editing Through the Seasons. It's the first book in The Ilyon Chronicles, a Christian epic fantasy series.

THE BOOK:

“Don’t you know? Animals like you have no soul.”

Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he’s ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he’s tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.

Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair lives every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.

Following the emperor’s declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance.

Available for purchase on Amazon May 20th!

View book extras at www.ilyonchronicles.blogspot.com. 

THE AUTHOR:

JAYE L. KNIGHT is a 25-year-old independent author with a passion for writing Christian fantasy and clean NA (New Adult) fiction. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God's love shines as a light to offer hope.

Jaye is a homeschool graduate and has been penning stories since the age of eight. She was previously published as Molly Evangeline. You can learn about her latest writing projects at www.jayelknight.com.

Find her at:

·         Facebook Author Page

·         Facebook Series Page

·         Twitter

·         Pinterest

·         Google+ Author Page

·         Google+ Series Page

·         YouTube

·         Author Blog

·         Series Blog

MY REVIEW:

      I have not yet finished reading this novel, so my review will be incomplete. However, as I did before with another book, I will list what I love about this book so far. (It may contain some VERY SLIGHT SPOILERS, so be aware). 

     1) The setting: This book combines some of my favourite time periods--medieval and Roman. There are gladiators, castles, scholars... And I even garnered a little bit of a Western feel from one of the towns. It's such a creative blend that I would never have thought to put together, but which makes the world of the Ilyon Chronicles entirely new and fresh.

     2) A wolf: Alright, so I am an unabashed fan of wolves. I adore them. I own wolf shirts, wolf pillowcases, I wear a wolf necklace almost every day, I own the entire Julie of the Wolves series, and I have a wolf stuffie that makes its home on my bed. I think they are gorgeous, noble animals. I ADORE them. I try to write them into almost all my novels somehow. So when I read one of the main characters has a close relationship with a black wolf (I wrote one such creature into my first completed novel), I WAS ECSTATIC. The relationship between the boy and his wolf is so potent and wonderful. 

    3) Knowledge! So Kyrin, the girl character, has a knack for remembering things. I can name only one other story I've ever read in my life where this was the main character's skill. I loved it; I loved reading how it affected her everyday life. That she was lauded for this and not because she kicked everybody's butt was refreshing. I have a feeling Kyrin's going to be a girl to watch--she's going to surprise me, I think.

    4) Sibling love: I love books that emphasize sibling relationships. Kyrin's sturdy bond with her twin brother made me smile. It was so sweet, and I really pray that they can remain this close during the series. They may break my heart, though, because they are just that adorable.

    5) Character names: Alright, this is really egotistical, but there's a character named Rebekah in the book. Not quite how I spell it, but I was still pretty happy.

   6) Faith: These characters face a struggle I can only ponder: if I had to choose between being honest about my faith and my life, what would I do? This novel has a lot of deep questions subtly written into it.

  7) Lots of adventure: This book is large, and the author takes you through a good expanse of time. Her writing and how much love has clearly gone into this book reminds me of Jill Williamson and her wonderful "Blood of Kings" series. I have only read the first book in that series, but I loved it. If you love Jill Williamson, give Jaye L. Knight a try!

GIVEAWAY!!!!

Immerse yourself in the world of Ilyon! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win an autographed copy of Resistance (Book 1 in the “Ilyon Chronicles” series), a Resistance-inspired necklace crafted by the author (Jaye L. Knight), a Better Homes “Warm Rustic Woods” candle, and a wolf paw leather bookmark from Lodgepole Leathercraft. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. 

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BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

Find the rest of the blog tour schedule here.

Blog Tour: "Bleeding Heart" by Amber Stokes--Book Review

I am honoured to be part of the blog tour for Amber Stokes' debut novel, Bleeding Heart. Make sure to check out all the stops along the tour to learn more about this amazing young author and her wonderful novel! You can enter for chances to win her book as well. At any time, drop by the Blog Tour HQ to see the blog post schedule. Now, onward....

About the Book

Five bleeding hearts. One profound journey. 

  
Summer 1886

Sally Clay’s livelihood has been snatched away, but in its place arises an opportunity to escape from her sordid past and an unrelenting, unwanted suitor. Boarding a train with a heartsick rancher and an enigmatic miner, she leaves Virginia City behind and heads to Northern California, waiting for the chance to make right what went wrong three long years before.

But the road to revenge is far from smooth. Sally soon learns that the jagged pieces of a broken heart can far too easily wound the hearts of others – and hers isn’t the only heart that’s broken. Tragedy and fear dog her steps as she flees from the redwood forests to the high desert and back again. Will her bleeding heart ever find a way and a place to heal?

A desperate soiled dove. Three men who come to care for her. One man determined to claim her. 

All on a journey that will show them what true love really involves.

Inspirational Historical Romance

Amazon  *  Book Website

About the Author

Amber Stokes has a Bachelor of Science degree in English and a passion for the written word - from blogging to writing poetry, short stories, and novels. After her brief time at college in Oregon, she is now back home among the redwoods of Northern California, living life one day at a time and pursuing her passion via freelance editing and self-publishing her debut novel, Bleeding Heart.

My Review

Bleeding Heart by Amber Stokes is self-published. There is huge stereotype against self-published works, but I want to go out there and say that Bleeding Heart's writing outshines many traditionally-published books in the world. Amber is a master of her craft, and each beautifully-worded sentence shows how much time and effort she has put into her novel. I loved her careful, vivid descriptions of the wild natural beauty of the setting, and how her characters related to it.

One thing I particularly loved was how she sprinkled allusions to actual historical events and people throughout the book. She didn't explain them, but left it to the readers to research it and discover for themselves. This book was told through the eyes of people who lived in that time; and realistically, what's history to us was life to them. Would they, in their thoughts, replay certain events that they would already know by heart and which would be as day-to-day to them as taking a shower is to us? So I enjoyed Amber's challenge to her readers to go out and explore history for themselves through the dropping of interesting name and hints at certain events.

Another aspect that was well done was the curve away from the usual historical romance novel in the Christian market. Many of those are humorous and lack any thought-provoking events. There are sweet moments in this novel, but it is definitely darker and more for those who realize and understand that life isn't one big cupcake. Christians love and lose and doubt. I can't tell you how many times I've wondered in real life why God would 'allow' a good Christian man to be ripped away from his wife, or a little girl to be murdered. These characters struggle with real-life challenges; and, while not necessarily finding answers, they find some sort of peace. And it is this peace that is integral to a relationship with God--the knowledge that, no matter what insanity happens here on earth, no matter how much injustice is done, "it is well with my soul". Because, as Amber shows in this novel, the one thing evil cannot rip away from you without your letting it is the condition of your soul.

This book ripped my heart to shreds for its characters, and sewed it up again. Certain ones I loved more than others, such as the immigrant Myghal and the quiet cook, Zachary Taylor. (Amber, PLEASE let them have their own stories!!!) At times I felt I knew them, and at others, I realized how little I knew them at all. While in other books this might be a cause to accuse the author of character inconsistency, one of the themes in this story is how little the characters know about EACH OTHER. They make assumptions and turn out surprised when they turn out wrong. As we, the readers, get into the heads of almost all the characters, why wouldn't their assumptions become our own, and therefore, their surprise as well?

However, this novel is very short, clocking in at just over 50,000 words, according to Amber's website. While the story is self-containing, there were times when huge time-skips of several months would go by. This did not allow for a lot of relationship-building in regards to the romance; everything went fairly quickly, at least in terms of reading it. I would have enjoyed more tender moments for me to become accustomed to the relationship that happens by the end of the book. As well, I think adding another couple-thousand words would have given readers the chance to dig even deeper into the heads of the characters and connect with them. I would have liked more time with Myghal and Zachary Taylor and Sally and Seth and Joe and even Rufus, who turned out to be quite the conflicting villain himself. I wanted to know MORE about them, to know all their likes and dislikes, outside of how they felt about love and heartbreak.

As well, in the copy I read, there were a few typos, and a mention of an "Annabelle" that Sally supposedly met and who was important to her, but whom I don't remember. Perhaps someone from an earlier draft?

All that being said, if you're looking for a fresh, original historical novel to sink your mind into, go for Bleeding Heart. If you're looking for a book that will make you think and ponder and cry and stare at your ceiling and think some more, get your hands on Bleeding Heart. And then promptly join me in a rally to get Amber to write more about Myghal and Zachary!

I received a free review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the opportunity, Amber, and best wishes on many successful novels to come!

Giveaway!!!

“Journey to the West” Giveaway! One U.S. resident (randomly drawn) will receive a signed copy of Bleeding Heart and a collection of items from the story’s settings, handpicked by the author.

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