BLOG TOUR: Worlds Beneath by K.A. Emmons! (Feat. interview!)
What's up, lovelies? Today I have a blog tour for you! The lovely K.A. Emmons is releasing the second book in her The Blood Race series, entitled Worlds Beneath, and while I have not yet read Worlds Beneath I have a review of the first book AND an interview with the amazing author today!
The Book
I’ve been running from my past for one hundred years. And I’m still just a teenager.
I was selected by my teacher, Sensei, to train in The Dimension: a secret place of refuge for the ‘anomalies’ of past, present, and future earth. Here I would learn to connect to my ‘warrior within’ as Sensei calls it - to channel energy orbs, commute between realms, and even shape-shift into an alternate form. But never did I guess that my training would include taking on an anomaly student of my own: a loose cannon of a college guy named Ion.
Late one evening, I invite him over to Sensei’s house for a little chat; one that will turn his life upside-down. Shoving him into the broom closet turned portal, I drag Ion into the Dimension, opening his eyes to his true homeland: a realm of anomalies. His kin.
As we train to become Protectors of future Earth, battling each other as well as our own demons, I begin to realize that there’s more to Ion than I originally thought: a darkness he’s spent his life running from. And beyond that, a looming threat hidden in plain sight - something that could destroy me, him, and the future of Earth.
Late one evening, I invite him over to Sensei’s house for a little chat; one that will turn his life upside-down. Shoving him into the broom closet turned portal, I drag Ion into the Dimension, opening his eyes to his true homeland: a realm of anomalies. His kin.
As we train to become Protectors of future Earth, battling each other as well as our own demons, I begin to realize that there’s more to Ion than I originally thought: a darkness he’s spent his life running from. And beyond that, a looming threat hidden in plain sight - something that could destroy me, him, and the future of Earth.
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| (And while I haven't read this one yet...I kind of need to after that cliffhanger. Like, sheesh. *dies*) |
The Author
My Review
After giving myself ample time to process (read: over a month XD) I have finally decided to review this book. And man, it's so complicated, I just can't.I'll admit to being a leeeeetle disappointed by this one, mostly because so many of my blogging friends absolutely LOVE it. That's not to say I didn't like it--it was really, really good! It simply didn't grab me and throw me into it the way my five-star reads have.
The characters and the prose were probably the best part. Ion was a definite highlight--I LOVED his character arc, as well as the unconventional way that Kate tackled writing a random guy chosen for a supernatural task he doesn't understand. It broke the mold in the best possible ways. Then Hawk--she was so harsh and cold, and I'm kind of growing tired of girls like that...but then her backstory broke my heart (poor, poor girl) and I understood her a little better. Fin was an absolute sweetheart and I'm looking forward to seeing him develop more in future installments. I liked Sensei well enough, although I'm still not sure I understand him (intentional, I'm sure). The other characters were all fine, although I didn't fall head over heels for any of them.
And then the PROSE. My goodness. I would recommend this book for the gorgeous prose alone. It's so beautiful, and I loved all the description. I felt like I was truly in all the scenes, and the flying parts? AMAZING. <3
The worldbuilding was pretty cool, especially the sort of stepping-between-realms stuff. I always love that kind of plot device. I didn't find myself blown away by the plot (it was well-paced and very character-driven, which I liked...but then it also confused me a couple of times, which I didn't so much like).
Probably the biggest negative for me is that I didn't really get the whole "student body government" thing at all? Like it just seemed so...I don't even know. It didn't make sense to my goldfish brain. XD That's probably just me though?
Overall I'm giving this 3.5 stars, and I am very eager to read the next one! At some point I'm DEFINITELY going to get my hands on it, because the cliffhanger was NOT OKAY. (And I want to know more about the chaaaaaaaaaaaaarrraaacteeeeeerrrrrrrs)
CONTENT ADVISORY
-Language: there's a handful of cuss words in this novel, ranging from lighter stuff (h*ll is used a few times) to cut-off f-words. I thought it was dealt with pretty well, though, and was in there for a reason...so I'm not counting off points on that account :P
-Sexy stuff: The main characters are largely a group of very secular college students, so there's some kissing and flirting and making out. One character's backstory deals with being raped.
-Alcohol: Again, secular college students, so there's quite a bit of drinking at some points :P
(Note about the content: I found it really cool how all of this stuff wasn't allowed anymore once Ion had his new calling. An allegory, perhaps? XD)
Overall, 3.5 stars, and I'd recommend this one to anybody who doesn't mind a couple of content concerns!
Interview
How long have you been writing for, and what got you into it?
Well, this response is as old as the hills, and honestly boring: I’ve been writing ever since I was a small, gangly kid who climbed on the countertops and stole candy from the cabinets while my mother was preoccupied on the telephone. I drew pictures of the mice from the Beatrix Potter stories and had my mom film me telling the story in a British accent and handing the pages off to my sister. True story.
There wasn’t really any big, interesting moment where I realized I wanted to be a writer, but if there had been it probably would have involved sunlight bursting through the clouds, and soft background music. But I always just had a messy, bubbling-over mind and the best outlet for that was writing it down so I did that. And I’m still doing it today. And probably tomorrow.
What a beautiful answer <3 What would you say is your trademark genre, and why that genre?
I’ve written so many different types of stories, so much so that I’ve begun to feel like I’ve entered a little realm where genre got run over by a bus, haha. However, to help explain what flavor my books are, I guess I’d say urban fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, with a splash of contemporary/literary for good measure. And sometimes I write just contemporary.
Or a more exciting illustration: if you put a moody forest, a plethora of supernatural occurrences, some cityscapes, wolf packs, car races, lots of things blowing up, and lots of various emotions and meanings and lessons learned into a blender and made a smoothie, that smoothie would probably taste like my writing.
OH MY GOODNESS, I LOVE IT. Smoothies are making me think of drinks now:Tea or coffee and why?
COFFFFFFFEEEEE. Bc coffee.
Honestly I love and drink both, lots of tea in the winter time. Tea of all sorts, all kinds, all backgrounds and walks of life. Tea with milk. Tea with maple syrup. Tea with tea. And then coffee is just a natural part of getting out of bed; it’s like putting on a tee shirt. You don’t even think about it. It’s just like, oh, huh, what is this burning hot liquid searing my throat? It must be coffee. Yay.
Do you listen to music while you write? Make separate playlists for every WIP? Make character playlists? (I go crazy sometimes with the playlists. Still trying to find someone as nuts as I am. XD)
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. But I LOVE CREATING PLAYLISTS. So, so much - so I can relate to the craziness! My sister is the same way too, and even creates character playlists like you mentioned. It gets pretty intense. But long story short, heck yeah I love listening to music while I write - I listened to a ton of Steve Jablonski scores while I wrote the third and final book in the series (I need a tee shirt that says “Steve Jablonski scores are like chocolates… you can’t have just one”) which was great. I also created playlists for all three of the books, and you can find ‘em on my Spotify. :) Super curious about how you curate all of your awesome sounding playlists now!!
I'll link to my own Spotify in case anybody wants to look at those playlists XD If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring indie authors, what would it be?
DON’T. GIVE. UP. Just don’t do it. Keep writing. Keep going - KEEP BELIEVING IN YOURSELF, in your craft, in your passion. There’s no right or wrong way to write a book, just different ways. Don’t play the down-talking game, don’t downplay what you’re doing. Go on google and type in “famous authors who threw away their manuscripts” and you’ll be amazed. We’re all the same, and we often can’t even see our own potential. So don’t get mad, don’t say mean things about your work, just keep getting after it: keep sitting at the desk and letting the words fly. You WILL be a successful author if you DO NOT GIVE UP.
How do you like the Blood Race, if you've read it?
22 comments
I'm squealing because you love Fin and his character arc in book 2 is EPIC and now I NEED YOU TO READ IT BECAUSE I NEED TO FANGIRL MORE WITH YOU!!
ReplyDelete*breathes* Okay, totally checking out your spotify. Haha, I'll totally follow you and you will know it's me by my user name... it has to do with dragons and writing. XD XD
Okay, anyway, AWESOME POST, TOTALLY FANGIRLING, I FREAKING LOVE THESE BOOKS!!! <3 <3
YES I NEED TO READ IT! I'm really sorry I didn't absolutely fall head over heels for this one, but I'M STILL PSYCHED FOR THE SEQUEL. SHEESH.
DeleteHeh...I may or may not be stalking you on spotify already XD
THANKS! YES I KNOW! XD
Great review! I feel the same way you do about the content. I’ve never read a book where all that stuff wasn’t allowed. Very different!
ReplyDeleteI agree-- it felt very unique, and also kind of meaningful. <3
DeleteI've been seeing this one everywhere. I'll have to get it at some point, it sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt's VERY good. <3
DeleteOkay, I need to get myself a copy of this AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE!!! I loved your interview, and the tea or coffee question was VERY important! ;) I'm so weak so I'm a cocoa girl. I went to a coffee shop with my mom and ordered a hot chocolate. Iced. Fancy chocolate milk. xD I'm hopeless.
ReplyDeleteLoved this!!!
YES YOU DO! It's a very important question, isn't it? I mean, I WORK at a coffee shop and I don't drink coffee, so I have obvious issues XD
DeleteI really need to read the next book, I'm dyingggg. XD
ReplyDeleteYes you do! XD
DeleteI read The Blood Race and actually turned out to really like it! I also relate to music playlists for novels-- ugh, they're the best motivators especially when writing it out and then the characters just come to LIFE.
ReplyDeletexoxo Abigail Lennah | Story-Eyed
That's awesome! I love playlists too <3 They're so helpful.
DeleteI agree, the characters and prose in this book are amazing! And I think this book will make a lot more sense to you once you read Worlds Beneath (plus, more of those awesome characters and incredible prose!).
ReplyDeleteI really need to read Worlds Beneath! It will happen very soon, as soon as I can afford to get it on Kindle ;)
DeleteI loved this interview! There was some stuff in it that I haven't seen elsewhere, and it's always a pleasure to see more of Kate's writing, of course. And I loved your review as well: I'm in the same way, where The Blood Race didn't land a 5 stars from me, but it was still a work of art in its own right. (Definitely recommending Worlds Beneath to you!!)
ReplyDeleteKate's writing is AMAZING, and this interview was so much fun to conduct. <3 It was EXCELLENT and I really can't wait for Worlds Beneath!
DeleteSuch a lovely book review and interview! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! I love how Kate has such a genuine grip on what it means to be a writer. Also I'm definitely checking out the playlists!
ReplyDeleteAww, thank you! And Kate's wisdom is so great. <3
DeleteSo I completely agree with this review. I actually didnt enjoy Ion's character but I
ReplyDeletedid like hawk and mala. Oh and yes I forgot all about fin. I really liked his character. I would rate the book a 3 as well.
Fin was so awesome, wasn't he? <3
DeleteI WANT TO READ THIS BOOK SO BAD NOW!!! It looks really cool. Thanks for sharing it!!!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! And you definitely should. <3
DeleteHello, friends! Do make yourselves comfortable and stay for a while--I'd love to chat with you! I simply ask that you keep it clean. :)