SNEAK PEEK: Demonkeepers by Jessica Andersen

ISBN 9780451229571
(c) April 2010, Signet, Penguin Putnam
Jessica Andersen's website

Buy Link: Amazon, Book Depository

Summary : (from Amazon)

According to Mayan doomsday prophecy, 12/21/12 marks the end of the world in a global cataclysm that can only be prevented by the Nightkeepers, magical warriors enlisted to fight the rise of the underworld demons. To fulfill the final prophecy the Nightkeepers must find their mates, but when Lucius and Jade are charged with rescuing the Mayan sun god, they try to ignore their growing attraction. Unless they can confront their own demons and accept that love isn't a weakness, even destiny might not be able to save them...

Excerpt : (exclusively here at The Raving Readers)

“What’s this?” Jade moved to the TV and raised a hand to trace the stylized figures of six men arranged in an asymmetrical pattern, two on the left, four on the right. Five wore elaborate, feather-worked headdresses made from the skulls of jaguars and coyotes, along with protective shielding that covered only one side of their bodies. The sixth stood at the far right, apart from the others. Wearing a musician’s loincloth and lacking a headdress, he held a conch shell to his lips. Glyphs emerged from the crude instrument as though they were musical notes, though no such scheme had been identified for the ancient Maya. The paint colors ranged from pale mauve through rusty red to charcoal black. The earthy hues reflected on Jade’s face as she frowned, trying to parse out the glyphs.

“Don’t bother, it doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “The current theory is that the artist was illiterate, and just copied a bunch of cool-looking glyphs from other places. It’s just gibberish.” He didn’t say why he’d been studying the painting, why it was important to him.

Under other circumstances, with another woman, talking translation would’ve spoiled the mood. With Jade, though, it only served to heighten the sense of intimacy provided by the small, quiet cottage and the rust-red light. They shared a love of language, and although he couldn’t honestly say he was more attracted to her brains than her body, the two together had made a hell of an impression when he’d first met her.

Or rather, once he’d gotten past her habitual reserve, which came across as shyness, but he’d learned was her way of hiding in plain sight. They each suffered from their own cultural conditioning, he’d long ago realized, though hers had come from a too-demanding winikin and a set of writs rather than a disappointed family and the gods of football.

“There’s something …” She trailed off, still frowning at the glyphs, but then she shook her head and turned back to him, expression going from intrigued to warmth with a hint of nerves. “Never mind. We’re here for a different reason, aren’t we?”

Which was true—it wasn’t like this was just about sex, for either of them.

There was a far larger goal, one that hung over them, weighing on him as it had for nearly half a year now, only this time edged with a sharp sense of anticipation. Determination. He was getting his ass into the library, whatever it took. And if that meant that the Nightkeepers’ needs and his own desire to be part of things wound up getting all mixed together with the desire he felt for Jade—had felt for her from that first day they’d worked together—then that was part of the Nightkeepers’ culture, wasn’t it?

Sex was magic, magic was power, and power could save the world.


Reviews of other books in the series:

Nightkeepers
Dawnkeepers
Skykeepers
Quiz on Nightkeepers - How well do you know the book? Test your knowledge!
Interview with Jessica Andersen

~ o ~

Last 2 days for the giveaway contest!

Three (3) copies of book #4 Demonkeepers to be won! (Two are signed copies.)Everyone on the planet can join, even the penguins in Antarctica, if they can get on the 'Net and write a comment. LOL

How to enter?

Go to Jessica's website and tell us what you like about it. It can be about her books, the extras she has there, or even the design of the website. You can also tell her what you want to see there. Anything. While there, look at the amazing information she has for you. But be warned that the animated intro is a little loud, so if you're at work, hit the volume!

Extra chances to win:
+ 3 if you're an old follower of this blog
+ 2 if you're a new follower of this blog (starting to follow from this post/contest)
+ 2 if you follow us on Facebook or Twitter
+ 2 if you take our poster (located on the right sidebar) about this contest and post
                it on your blog/website with a link back to us
+ 1 for every time you spread the word about this contest via Facebook, MySpace,
               Twitter, your blog, website or other form of social media. For example,
               you tweeted about this contest twice and also announced it on your
               Facebook. You also wrote a blog post. That's 4 additional chances!
               However, for these to qualify, be sure to come back here and post the
               links. Like, if you tweeted twice, give me both links.

If you do all of the above, at a minimum, that's 9 chances to win (8 chances if you're a new follower)! Remember, the more things you do to help us spread the word about this contest, the better are your chances.

Contest ends on April 2 (Friday), 1159pm EST. (Original deadline was April 1, which is April Fools' Day, so we thought it might be better if we extend the contest by another day. *grin*)

Winner will be picked via Randomizer.org and announced within the week. Instructions will be given then on how to claim your prize. Be sure to come back and check because we won't hunt you down. If prizes are unclaimed after 1 week, new winners will be chosen.

Good luck!

GUEST AUTHOR: Jessica Andersen

Today, we have Jessica Andersen visiting the blog!

The Raving Readers: Hi Jessica, thank you so much for joining us today at The Raving Readers. I love the way you depicted the Nightkeepers' world. So fascinating and mysterious. Have you always been interested in Mayan lore and civilization? When and how did this fascination start?

Jessica Andersen: Thanks so much for having me, and for your kind words on the Nightkeepers' books! Yes, I've always been fascinated with the Mayan civilization, going back to my kidhood, when my parents used to take me down to the Yucatan for several weeks each spring.

This was just as Cancun was building itself up as a tourist destination, when most of the 'big' ruins in the area were in the process of being restored and weren't as tightly regulated (or touristi-i-fied) as they are today. Those experiences (climbing up the pyramids, down inside the tombs, hanging my feet over the edge of the sacred cenote) really stuck with me.

So when I was researching for another book, and came across the idea that the Mayan calendar would complete its cycle on 12/21/2012, and there was some scientific reasoning to suggest that something Big And Bad could happen on that day ... I was hooked!

TRR: We can see how that could be so exciting. In fact, your Final Prophecy series has an overall storyline arc. Did you plot everything before writing the first book? Or did the storyline come about on a per book basis?

JA: Erm, yes and yes? LOL. Really, it's a bit of both. Although I wrote a series bible at the very beginning, there have been major changes along the way. The world, the basic characters, and the magic were mostly established from the beginning, the stories and twists have really evolved on a book-by-book basis.

TRR: I love the twists and turns you presented in each book. I could never predict what's going to happen and I love being surprised! In Skykeepers, we see you dipping your toes into Egyptian lore. Will we see more Egyptian influences in the coming books? Any other civilizations making their appearances in future books?

JA: I'm fascinated by the way similar myths, images and rituals can show up in cultures that are (in theory, anyway) completely separate! Yes, we're definitely seeing more of the Egyptian influence (especially in Demonkeepers). Another culture that may play into the stories is that of the Hopi, who have an end-time myth that runs parallel to that of the Maya.

TRR: In the books that you've written, whose story was the easiest to write? Why do you think this is so?

JA: I don't know that any of them have been all that easy, per se. These are long, complicated books with lots of moving parts, as well as characters that really challenge me (and each other!). That being said, I've always found Lucius's (hero of Demonkeepers) point of view very natural for me to write-- he's a total nerd, knows he's a nerd, embraces his nerdhood, and then tries to find an element of coolness within it. That's sort of how I see myself, so Lucius and I get along.

TRR: That's interesting, coz Lucius is one of my favorite characters! Sh, don't tell the others or they might get jealous. Now, which among the couples is your favorite? Why?

JA: Whichever couple I'm writing at a given moment becomes my favorite! I need to love them in order to write their story-- because if I'm not totally sucked into their story, then I won't be able to bring the reader along with me. So even if a character isn't necessarily someone have a ton in common with (e.g., Michael, the mysterious assassin from Skykeepers), I look really deep inside them and find something that I can connect with.

That being said, Rabbit is probably my favorite character-- love him because not only is he an intentional troublemaker, half the time he creates chaos with the best of intentions! Not to mention that I think it would be very cool to be pyrokinetic :)

TRR: I have to admit I was anxious for Lucius's story, but I thought he'd be paired with Anna (vibes from Nightkeepers)! But in Demonkeepers, his mate is obviously Jade. Can you tell us a little about Demonkeepers, which will be out in April?

JA: One of the things that I find really cool about Demonkeepers is that even though Lucius is fully human, he's been exposed to both demonic and Nightkeeper magic, and has gained some powers of his own.

So where the geeky 'old' Lucius tended to cling (for example, to Anna), now there's this 'new' Lucius who has outgrown a bunch of the old one's insecurities ... but then he starts realizing that being a front-line warrior isn't nearly as glamorous as he'd made it out to be. Then we add Jade into the mix, along with their one-night stand (which was hinted at in Dawnkeepers), and things heat up fast!

TRR: How do you create your characters? Let's say, for example, Lucius. Did you know when you were writing Nightkeepers that he would end up the hero in Demonkeepers?

JA: There have been a few character shuffles since I wrote Nightkeepers. For example, there's one main character I thought was going to die who refused to go, another I expected to survive who didn't, and there was a little bit of brain-swinging going on, where I had planned one set of couples who traded mates on me.

Honestly, I had thought that Lucius and Sasha would end up together. But then in Dawnkeepers, Lucius and Jade worked together in the archive, and before I knew it, sparks were flying!

Those scenes didn't make it into the final book-- they were cut because these books get long, and I'm forced to really concentrate on the main storyline, even though my brain is telling me about all this cool stuff that's happening off-screen to the main plot. However, I knew what Jade and Lucius had been up to while we (the 'viewers' of the series, so to speak) were focused on other things. So for me, the only possible choice for Lucius was Jade, and vice versa.

As for how I created the characters, back when I was writing Nightkeepers, I knew that I had a *lot* of people in the story, and I was using an unusual number of points of view (my agent even joked at one point that she expected the tree to get a scene in its POV). So I worked very, very hard to make the characters feel unique and individual.

Thus, most of their major traits were set up in that first story ... but at the same time, everyone has evolved. They've all had different experiences along the way, and those experiences have continued to shape them. That's what is (I hope) helping each story feel very different from the others.

TRR: Why is Jade, and not Anna, perfect for Lucius?

JA: Although Anna and Lucius share a love of ancient Mayan research and hieroglyphics, it's far more in a mentor-student way than in a romantic way. They're just at different places in their lives.

Jade was a counselor in the outside world, but keeps her feelings deeply hidden. Lucius wears his heart on his sleeve, but needs help adapting to his new powers and responsibilities. In that way, they're perfect for each other.

Problem is, both of them are also trying to prove themselves as fighters and magi, which complicates things, especially when you throw sex magic (one of the Nightkeepers' strongest powers and greatest temptations) into the mix.

TRR: Will Anna get her own story someday? *g*

JA: That's the plan!

TRR: How many books did you plan for the series? After Demonkeepers, what have you got for your fans?

JA: I'm planning nine books and one novella!

After Demonkeepers, we shift gears a little with new titles and new cover concepts: Blood Spell will be out this fall-- it's Patience and Brandt's book, which is really different because they've been married for six years and have twin sons together. However, their relationship has been spiraling downward ever since they joined the Nightkeepers, and now it's reaching critical mass. When they're forced to work together-- and revisit pieces of their past-- in order to break a secret curse, things heat up fast!

TRR: I can't wait to see the new cover! The title Blood Spell sounds awesome, certainly different from the first four books. Anything else you'd like to tell us?

JA: Please visit me at the Nightkeepers' online home: http://www.jessicaandersen.com/. Be warned, the animated intro is kind of loud! So if you're at work, think about turning the volume down (snicker). The website is a ton of fun, and includes not only my schedule, newsletter signups, and excerpts, it also had additional info on the Maya, the 2012 doomsday, and a bonus short story that's available free for your reading pleasure. I'm a big Facebook-er, too, so please hit me up-- either search for 'Doc Jess' or search for 'Jessica Andersen' and look for the cover of Demonkeepers!

Oh, and as extra fun, I'm doing a Virtual Signing of Demonkeepers! To order a signed copy that will be delivered to you the first week of release (first week of April), go to store.radcliffbookstore.com and click on the virtual signing. While you're there, you can also order a signed copy of Ward's Lover Mine! (Great book, btw.)

Thanks for having me on this week, and please feel free to hit me up with questions or comments!

TRR: Thanks, Jess, great to have you here!

Reviews of books in the series:

Nightkeepers
Dawnkeepers
Skykeepers
Quiz on Nightkeepers - How well do you know the book? Test your knowledge!

Three (3) copies of book #4 Demonkeepers to be won! Everyone on the planet can join, even the penguins in Antarctica, if they can get on the 'Net and write a comment. LOL

How to enter?

Go to Jessica's website and tell us what you like about it. It can be about her books, the extras she has there, or even the design of the website. You can also tell her what you want to see there. Anything. While there, look at the amazing information she has for you. But be warned that the animated intro is a little loud, so if you're at work, hit the volume!

Extra chances to win:

+ 3 if you're an old follower of this blog
+ 2 if you're a new follower of this blog (starting to follow from this post/contest)
+ 2 if you follow us on Facebook or Twitter
+ 2 if you take our poster (located on the right sidebar) about this contest and post it
               on your blog/website with a link back to us
+ 1 for every time you spread the word about this contest via Facebook, MySpace,
              Twitter, your blog, website or other form of social media. For example, you
              tweeted about this contest twice and also announced it on your Facebook. You
              also wrote a blog post. That's 4 additional chances! However, for these to
              qualify, be sure to come back here and post the links. Like, if you tweeted
              twice, give me both links.

If you do all of the above, at a minimum, that's 9 chances to win (8 chances if you're a new follower)! Remember, the more things you do to help us spread the word about this contest, the better are your chances.

Contest ends on April 2 (Friday), 1159pm EST. (Original deadline was April 1, which is April Fools' Day, so we thought it might be better if we extend the contest by another day. *grin*)

Winner will be picked via Randomizer.org and announced within the week. Instructions will be given then on how to claim your prize. Be sure to come back and check because we won't hunt you down. If prizes are unclaimed after 1 week, new winners will be chosen.

Good luck!

GIVEAWAY and REVIEW: Skykeepers by Jessica Andersen

 

ISBN 9780451227706

Series: A Novel of the Final Prophecy, Book 3

Genre: Paranormal Romance

(c) October 2009, Signet, Penguin Putnam

Jessica Andersen's website

Rating: 5 stars






Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository

"The series gets better and better! Not to be missed!"

With each installment, Jessica Andersen ramps up the action and excitement in a thrilling ride that takes the reader on unexpected turns! In Dawnkeepers, we have--oh horrors!--Rabbit killing the three-question nahwal and the loss of the skyroad and thus, the Nightkeepers' communication with the gods. We see things getting bleaker and bleaker for the Nightkeepers as their powers waned. How then are they going to save the world from the end time? What's in store for them as the days keep counting down to the zero date?

Skykeepers opened with a bang as the Nightkeepers staged a hostage (Sasha Ledbetter) rescue, as she is their only hope of recovering the missing library (knowledge that the Nightkeepers desperately needed) that her father had ostensibly transferred to a safer location. Attraction sizzled between Sasha and Michael Stone, but while Sasha is all too willing to develop the relationship, Michael held himself apart from her, because he feared the thing, the monster he called Other that lives inside him. As much as Sasha's presence gave Michael a measure of peace, she also seemed to incite this Other to greater violence, and he was finding it harder and harder to keep it contained within him, and he feared the havoc it could cause should he let it loose.

Exciting stuff happens! Who is Sasha Ledbetter? Of whose bloodline is she? What is her talent? These questions and more are answered in this book! (Cannot give them away though. Wouldn't want to spoil things for you.)

I like the little touches that Ms. Andersen gave her, like the fact that Sasha loves to cook and that she treats her plants and herbs like her babies. I was totally charmed at the scene when Sasha saw them again after so long.

"Hello, she breathed, knowing she should probably feel like an idiot for talking to her plants, and not giving a crap. "Do you remember me?"

I like that these small things serve to give Sasha character yet at the same time, these very qualities are important to her role as a Nightkeeper. Suffice it to say, I like Sasha better than Alexis (Dawnkeepers) because the former is so refreshingly uncomplicated. Her scenes with Ambrose (both at the temple and later, at Skywatch) were done rather well, in my opinion, bearing a bittersweet, poignant quality and bringing Sasha the needed closure without the scenes being mushy.

And Michael, wooh! He totally owned this book, with his pain and anguish and conflict, in his striving to be a better man. Who couldn't identify with that? Especially toward the end, when he needed to cross the river again. I could feel his ambivalence and his pain. Heart breaking and soul crying out... Should he cross or not? A return to what he was (which he hated) or to reach for his desired future and sacrifice a teammate? In the end, there was no choice, not if he was to be true to what he is at his core. But I suffered with him, cried with him (oops, he didn't cry, but maybe in his heart he did) as he made the irreversible decision.

Jessica Andersen sure knew how to put readers through the emotional wringer. But I love love love Michael Stone, more than Nate and even maybe Strike.

Though the end of the world events still surround and interweave with Sasha's and Michael's romance, they didn't overwhelm. Though we still see Rabbit trying to help, there wasn't anything of Anna's problems with her hubby. As for Lucius, we only see him for a short time at the beginning and toward the end. So, this book is really all about Sasha and Michael, which I thoroughly enjoyed. And I'm looking forward to Demonkeeper, because Lucius is one of my favorite characters. I've been waiting for his story since Nightkeepers (book #1)!

There is something though that wasn't answered in the story. Since Sasha is a Nightkeeper (not a spoiler, as it's suspected in book #1 that her father is one), why didn't her winikin have her mark on his forearm? 

When we asked Ms Andersen this question, this is her reply:

Good question!  This is one of those things that is hinted at in the stories, but gets glossed over a little because there's only so much detail I can include before my editor says: "Stop worldbuilding and get to the running, screaming, and sex!' Snicker. 

The books mention that the winikin receive a child's mark (indicating that they have another protectee of their bound bloodline) at the child's birth. This actually happens during a brief ceremony that is performed with umbilical cord blood, during which the child is connected to the community. Sasha did not receive this ceremony. Neither did Patience and Brandt's twins, which is why neither Hannah nor Woody (Patience and Brandt's winikin) have marks representing the boys. 

Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository 

Reviews of other books in the series:

Nightkeepers
Dawnkeepers
Quiz on Nightkeepers - How well do you know the book? Test your knowledge!

~ o ~

WE'RE HAVING A GIVEAWAY! Three (3) copies of book #4 Demonkeepers to be won! Everyone on the planet can join, even the penguins in Antarctica, if they can get on the 'Net and write a comment. LOL

How to enter?

Go to Jessica's website and tell us what you like about it. It can be about her books, the extras she has there, or even the design of the website. You can also tell her what you want to see there. Anything. While there, look at the amazing information she has for you. But be warned that the animated intro is a little loud, so if you're at work, hit the volume!

Extra chances to win:
+ 3 if you're an old follower of this blog
+ 2 if you're a new follower of this blog (starting to follow from this post/contest)
+ 2 if you follow us on Facebook or Twitter
+ 2 if you take our poster (located on the right sidebar) about this contest and post it
              on your blog/website with a link back to us
+ 1 for every time you spread the word about this contest via Facebook, MySpace,
              Twitter, your blog, website or other form of social media. For example, you
              tweeted about this contest twice and also announced it on your Facebook. You 
              also wrote a blog post. That's 4 additional chances! However, for these to 
              qualify, be sure to come back here and post the links. Like, if you tweeted 
              twice, give me both links.

If you do all of the above, at a minimum, that's 9 chances to win (8 chances if you're a new follower)! Remember, the more things you do to help us spread the word about this contest, the better are your chances.

Contest ends on April 1 (Thursday), 1159pm EST.

Winner will be picked via Randomizer.org and announced within the week. Instructions will be given then on how to claim your prize. Be sure to come back and check because we won't hunt you down. If prizes are unclaimed after 1 week, new winners will be chosen.

Good luck!

GIVEAWAY & REVIEW: Dawnkeepers by Jessica Andersen

ISBN 9780451225757

Series: A Novel of the Final Prophecy, Book 2

Genre: Paranormal Romance

(c) May 2009, Signet, Penguin Putnam

Jessica Andersen's website

Rating: 4 stars

Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository

"A thrilling sequel as the adventure continues!"

It was several months since the end of the events in the first book and Nate and Alexis have broken off their relationship, mainly due to a rejection on Nate's part, who didn't believe in gods and prophecy and fate and destiny. All his life, he's had to work for things he wanted--wealth, success, etc--and he didn't see why he couldn't do that too for the woman he wanted in his life. Yet, something drew him back again and again to Alexis, the woman on whom his fantasy game heroine Hera was modeled after, years before he'd seen Alexis.

Alexis, on the other hand, having grown up with a winikin (something like a bond-servant) who instructed her in the Nightkeeper lore and history from young, bought fully into the prophecies and concepts of destiny and fate. As she didn't seem to possess the full warrior fighting powers, she wanted to have more magic and more power in order to live up to the memory of her mother, who'd been one of the king's advisers. And so she clung to Nate, not only because she was hopelessly attracted to him, but also because a mated Nightkeeper is more powerful than an unmated one.

Being a Nightkeeper must be tough on the nerves because there is nonstop action and excitement and danger. The story opens with the Nightkeepers searching for the artifacts that contain the demon prophecies, the next stage in their fight against the Banol Kax. Magic and mayhem ensued and there was never a dull moment, though the story dragged a bit in the first few chapters with explanations and highlights of past events. Some of the abbreviated language threw me at first and I had to stop and think what it meant, especially 'hood for neighborhood, but once I got the hang of it, I was fine. In fact, 'porting sounds way better than teleporting.

For Nate, I think everything came together when he stumbled into his parents' cottage. It was like waking up from a foggy dream and realizing, "Oh fucking shit, this is real." He had parents who loved him and cared for him, and if the massacre hadn't happened, he would have grown up being trained as a Nightkeeper. His assimilation into his role within the Nightkeepers was gradual and logical, coming out of his own realization that the royal council needed an objective voice, someone who didn't believe wholly into the Nightkeeper traditions and prophecies, someone who could think out of the box. I didn't quite like him at first, because I hate the way he pushed Alexis away when he obviously yearned for her, but later on, when he started accepting the inevitable (to a certain extent), I find him super-hot, especially toward the end when he made himself vulnerable to her. (Couldn't say more, as it would be a spoiler.)

I have a harder time understanding Alexis's character and motivation, because I couldn't quite decide if her ambition of being part of the royal council came from Alexis herself or from her winikin. I read on, fully expecting Alexis to rebel sometime down the road, that no, this wasn't what she wanted, but later on, we see that Alexis herself wanted the position. She wanted to be acknowledged that she was doing something important, like her mother did. So maybe, Alexis herself was confused at the start, but the idea grew on her until she wanted it. Perhaps she saw it as things coming full circle--her mother being Strike's father's adviser, while she is Strike's adviser. This may be the reason in part for me having the feeling of the story being confusing as I read.

However, I totally admire and rooted for Alexis for being a kick-ass heroine in that she was strong enough to reject Nate somewhere in the middle of the book, that no, she might need a Nightkeeper mate in order to have strong magic enough to battle the bad guys, but he didn't have to be Nate, since Nate so obviously didn't want to be with her. Yay for the woman who doesn't cling or goes weepy because the man didn't want her.

Like in the first book, so many things happened in the story that the events almost overshadowed Nate's and Alexis' romance, but actually, everything was integrated into the whole, even their romance. The problems that cropped up in their relationship was due to their identities as Nightkeepers, and their background as both humans and magical warriors. Each event that the Nightkeepers encountered only served to strip them both bare until nothing was left but the very essence of who they are and made them see, especially Nate, what is most important to them.

Of course, life would be very bland and dull without Rabbit, whose foul-ups seemed served to help the enemy more than the Nightkeepers, Anna who was still torn between her human life and her destiny as a Nightkeeper, and Lucius, who it seemed has to undergo a lot of pain and transformation before he'd realize what his destiny was. I do wish though that some momentous events in some of the characters' lives could be given longer screen time, like when Rabbit discovered the truth of his powers and when Alexis realized she loved Nate.

Review of Nightkeepers
Quiz on Nightkeepers - How well do you know the book? Test your knowledge!

~ o ~

WE'RE HAVING A GIVEAWAY! Three (3) copies of book #4 Demonkeepers to be won! Everyone on the planet can join, even the penguins in Antarctica, if they can get on the 'Net and write a comment. LOL

How to enter?

Go to Jessica's website and tell us what you like about it. It can be about her books, the extras she has there, or even the design of the website. You can also tell her what you want to see there. Anything. While there, look at the amazing information she has for you. But be warned that the animated intro is a little loud, so if you're at work, hit the volume!

Extra chances to win:

+ 3 if you're an old follower of this blog
+ 2 if you're a new follower of this blog (starting to follow from this post/contest)
+ 2 if you follow us on Facebook or Twitter
+ 2 if you take our poster (located on the right sidebar) about this contest and post it
              on your blog/website with a link back to us
+ 1 for every time you spread the word about this contest via Facebook, MySpace,
              Twitter, your blog, website or other form of social media. For example, you
              tweeted about this contest twice and also announced it on your Facebook. You 
              also wrote a blog post. That's 4 additional chances! However, for these to 
              qualify, be sure to come back here and post the links. Like, if you tweeted 
              twice, give me both links.

If you do all of the above, at a minimum, that's 9 chances to win (8 chances if you're a new follower)! Remember, the more things you do to help us spread the word about this contest, the better are your chances.

Contest ends on April 1 (Thursday), 1159pm EST.

Winner will be picked via Randomizer.org and announced within the week. Instructions will be given then on how to claim your prize. Be sure to come back and check because we won't hunt you down. If prizes are unclaimed after 1 week, new winners will be chosen.

Good luck!

REVIEW: Nightkeepers by Jessica Andersen

ISBN 978-0-451-22437-8

Series: Final Prophecy, Book 1
(c) June 2008, Signet Eclipse, Penguin Group
Jessica Andersen's website

Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble
Buy Link (ebook): Barnes and Noble Ebook

"Great angst and conflict, and incredible worldbuilding. A must read!"

If you were like me and thought "I've watched 2012 and I don't need to read a book on the Mayan doomsday prophecy", you'd have missed out on a lot. Just the prologue of this book alone packed quite a huge punch and, though I thought I wouldn't like the book much, I was soon so caught up in the story that I used whatever free time I could snatch to read.

Strike knew he was a Nightkeeper, one of the few left to defend mankind should the end come at the Great Conjunction as it was foretold. At the same time, he hoped that his father's sacrifice twenty-four years ago to close the barrier was successful. No such luck. Not only is the end time coming, but how was he to win the war with so few of them (those who had escaped the massacre)? To top it all off, he may need to sacrifice Leah, the woman he's come to love, in order to save the world.

Jessican Andersen delivers on this book with its great angst and conflict, incredible worldbuilding and believable character development. Strike was the one who grew the most as he struggles with his birthright, his duties and responsibilities and his love for the one woman he needed to sacrifice to save a world that didn't know they needed saving. Leah was a bit overshadowed as the reader was pulled into the Nightkeepers' world and facts were revealed about their magic system and hierarchy. Learning about the world that Ms. Andersen created is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the book for me. (Could be why I also love to read fantasies.)

As I said, the prologue hooked me in with the action, the tension, the possible romance and the eventual heartbreak. The author's portrayal of duty over love was so on the dot that it was the first time I felt it so keenly (as compared to other books). There's also a longer prologue at the author's website, but I feel that the shortened prologue made a bigger impact on me as a reader than the longer one.

After Strike knew there were other Nightkeepers in the world, people whom he could call to join him in the fight to save the world, he began assembling his army. Short screen time was given to several of these Nightkeepers and their winikin (bonded servants to the Nightkeepers), but instead of feeling as though these were introductions to future couple pairings, they added depth to the world that Ms. Andersen was trying to portray. The changing group dynamics was also done well, in my opinion.

A problem I have with the story is the resolution of Strike's quandary with sacrificing Leah. Since this book is a romance, I don't think it's a spoiler if I say there's a happy ending and Leah is saved with Strike managing to save the world at the same time in this battle. Maybe I was reading too fast (and too lazy to re-read) but I was a bit confused as to how this came about.

Another problem is the way the characters sometimes were controlled by forces outside of their control, meaning the gods or the demons or what not. Like they did something but they don't want to do it and it's not them doing it as there was something else controlling their body. I'm not sure I like this device being used so often in the story, especially when the character's actions were needed to move the story forward. But then, if you look at it from another angle, Strike is just an emissary of the gods, just as the human Zipacna is a representation of the crocodile god from the underworld. The real battle of good vs evil is between the gods and the demons, and this could be used to justify the way both good and evil powers sometimes manipulate their pawns.

Rating: 4.5 stars

 
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