December 5, 2023

BLOG TOUR Light of the Gods by Miriam Newman

Hi friends! Welcome to the tour for Light of the Gods by Miriam Newman (organized by Goddess Fish Promotions). Check out my post to learn more about the book and the author as well as enter the giveaway. The author will be giving out a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner at the end of the tour. 

Make sure you show the other hosts some love as well - the more you comment, the more chances you have to win! The link to the schedule is below. Happy reading everyone!

Light of the Gods by Miriam Newman Tour Schedule (Goddess Fish Promotions) 

About the Book

In ages gone by, the gods of the mountains had split the earth in two.  Now that passage must form a barrier against invaders.  Javrik, clan chieftain’s son, has known his wife for only a month when he must defend her.  Arman, soldier from a far-off land, finds himself fighting for people he never knew existed.  The lives of nomads, raiders, warriors and lovers are changed forever in the shadow of Grandfather Mountain.






Excerpt 

It was a happy homecoming group at table that night although, inevitably, most people spoke of war. 


“These are good,” Javrik acknowledged, sitting next to Sarai with his brother on his other side, both of them eating her sweet rolls. The only rule of the home seemed to be that the men must leave their boots on the porch, to save cleaning for the women. But she could see that her husband had changed into clean clothes, and washed his beard and his hair. They still curled faintly, looking like spun gold as they dried. In a crowd of men coming in, many with wives and children, he stood out. 


It was pretty clear, though, that Jerisi held court. 


“Sarai‘s father,” he told the assemblage, “returned to prepare stone throwers.” 


There was a murmur of approval. 


“You have the timber and rope to make them.” He spoke directly to her, but obviously to everyone else as well. “And the rocks. We will harvest rocks from your ground like a crop and shoot them from atop Grandfather Mountain and Little Man on anyone below.” 


He rubbed his hands gleefully, provoking a laugh at the table. “That should take out a good number.” 


“What else can they throw?” someone asked. 


“Oh, pretty much anything. Flaming balls of pitch. Severed heads.” 


The laughter this time was robust. 


“UGGHHH!” Most of the women protested, but they, too, were laughing. 

Jerisi, already well into his cups, raised a tankard. “Drink to their deaths, my friends!” 

So, this was war. Unconsciously, Sarai leaned towards Javrik, who was less inebriated than some others—but not much. 


“Ugly stuff, isn‘t it?” he commiserated. “And I‘m afraid you haven‘t seen anything yet.” 


“And I thought you were the civilized ones,” she teased. “That‘s what they tell us in the mountains.” 


“Oh, no.” He leaned back. “We only pretend.” 


She had dressed for dinner in the bright colors the other women favored, and worn her hair as Sange suggested, intricately braided and held with rich-looking combs. Well, she had fed him, gotten him drunk, dressed like a woman looking for attention...there was only one thing left to try. If he rejected her again, she didn‘t know what she would do. A woman might have an abusive husband or a drunken one, which was bad enough. But to have one who simply didn‘t care about you was the kiss of death, since you were shackled to him for life. 


“Where do we sleep tonight?” she asked, letting her leg touch his beneath the shelter of the table. 


“Upstairs,” he said, not moving his leg. “Do you want me to show you?” 


At last, she thought. The man was not made of stone, after all. Her fingers curled anxiously inside her palms, but the weight and warmth against her thigh was very real. 


“Yes,” she murmured. “Yes, I do want that.”

About the Author

Fantasy poetry driven by myths and legends has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I was published in poetry before catching the romance writing bug. I bring that background to my writing along with a lifelong addiction to horses, an 18 year career in various areas of psychiatric social services and many trips to Ireland, where I nurture my muse. My published works range from contemporary fantasy romance to fantasy historical, futuristic, science fiction and historical romance. Currently I live in rural Pennsylvania with a “motley crew” of rescue animals. You can see my books at www.miriamnewman.com.


Website:       http://miriamnewman.com

Website:       http://thedarkcastlelords.net 

Blog:              http://miriamnewman.com/blog

Blog:              http://thecelticroseblog.blogspot.com

Email:            mrmireland@aol.com

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMiriamNewman

Twitter:        https://www.twitter.com/miriamnewman


BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/miriam-newman-cf7ca8bf-caab-4b7e-a6f2-7db5490d9215 



Goodreads Author Page:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3146550.Miriam_Newman

 

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Miriam-Newman/e/B005DBFZUG


Enter the giveaway here!

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November 21, 2023

REVIEW The Isles of the Gods (The Isles of the Gods #1) by Amie Kaufman

The Isles of the Gods (The Isles of the Gods #1) 
by Amie Kaufman
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Format: Audiobook (Personal Library)
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

The Isles of the Gods is by no means my first Amie Kaufman read, but I think it's my favorite so far. A high seas adventure complete with a full cast audiobook narration and epic worldbuilding, it was a treat to be introduced to this world and get to immerse myself in the story. If you enjoy books like Set Fire to the Gods by Sara Raasch and Kristen Simmons or Adrienne Young’s Fable series, I think you’ll enjoy this book.

When the book first starts, it does take a bit to get used to all of the point of view characters in this book (there’s five, by my recollection). However, after the first couple of chapters I found all of them to be compelling and to have unique voices. Selly was unsurprisingly my favorite. Each character goes through a lot in this book (physically, mentally and emotionally), and none of them are by any means perfect. Given the setting of an impending war, it was interesting to see how each side takes into account the innocent lives caught (or soon to be caught) in the crossfire. There’s also a bit of romance in the story for those who might be interested (though that is by no means the main focus of the plot). 

The worldbuilding was my favorite part of the story. There is a large pantheon of gods within the book (as the title might suggest), though two specifically take center stage. I enjoyed learning about how each culture’s history was shaped around their respective god. The setting itself was another interesting element - magic and electricity exist side by side, crime bosses are a run of the mill occurrence in bigger ports, and they have automobiles and trains (but not high powered ships to get rid of the need for traditional sailing and speed up sea travel). There are parts of the magic system that are still a bit confusing, but I’m hoping the author fleshes that out in future installments to the series. 

Overall, this was an excellent page turning read. The tension and the pacing of the book were well balanced. Sadly, the cliffhanger was painful (and unexpected), so I’m super excited for the sequel to come out (currently set in July 2024). 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amie Kaufman
Amie Kaufman is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her multi-award winning work is slated for publication in over 30 countries, and is in development for film and TV. Raised in Australia and occasionally Ireland, Amie has degrees in history, literature, law and conflict resolution. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and daughter, their rescue dog, and an extremely large personal library. She is the host of the podcasts Amie Kaufman on Writing, and Pub Dates.