Exiles Blog Tour and Author Interview!!!

Guys, it’s here!  It’s here!  I’ve been a die-hard fan of the Ilyon Chronicles and I was so excited to participate in Jaye L. Knight’s newest novel’s blog tour!  This is the fourth book in her Christian fantasy series, Ilyon Chronicles.  I reviewed the first book here a while back, so if you don’t know anything about it, check it out.

The first three Kindle books are on sale August 11^th – 14^th! You can find them on Amazon.  You can even snag the first book for .99 cents!!!

Read about it below and be sure to check out the other blog stops on the tour by visiting the official tour page. (Did I mention that there’s a cool giveaway?)

About the Book

Exiled after their defeat in Samara, the Resistance struggles to find allies in their quest to restore King Balen to his throne and put an end to the emperor’s tyranny. When the crete people refuse to lend their aid, Balen leads a group to Dorland to reason with them and win their support. However, enemies prove to be everywhere, and they find themselves in a fight to keep Dorland from becoming Daican’s latest conquest.

Back in Landale, the arrival of a new enemy forces Trask and Anne to tread more carefully than ever. Tensions are rising, and the enemy is determined to test Anne’s loyalty and root out the location of Trask and the Resistance once and for all.

Feeling trapped within the walls of Valcré, Prince Daniel must contend with an ever-eroding relationship with his father. As their clashes escalate, the situation becomes potentially life threatening when his loyalty is called into question. His sister seems bent on branding him a traitor and actively seeking to condemn him to the fate of those put to death in their father’s new arena. Daniel is certain his father would never execute his only son and heir, but with other forces at work, it might not be that simple.

One small misstep could prove fatal for all.

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My Review:

The Plot:  I’ve loved these books since the very first one.  While there was still plenty of excitement, I fell like this book revolves around the relationships between the characters more than the plot.  I loved getting to see more sides of the characters, and thought that a few things were executed very well.  Just be aware that this one isn’t as plot heavy.

The Characters:

Kyrin:  She’s still the kind and brave girl we’ve come to know and love.  She’s suffered a lot in the previous books, so it was nice for her to have a bit of a breather when they visited the Cretes.  (It doesn’t last for long, though. :P)

Jace:  Wow.  *fangirl squealing*  I can’t love him any more.  I loved getting to see more of him, and more Jayrin.  He’s still puzzling through his past, but after some things in the previous book, he seems much more at peace.  He has more encounters with Ryriks, and I was very surprised by some of the events.

Trask and Anne:  I loved getting to see more of Trask and Anne in this book.  They really do remind me of Robin Hood and Maid Marian.  Their romance is sweet, and sometimes laugh-out-loud worthy.

Prince Daniel:  Hands down best part of the book.  I enjoyed his perspective.  He grew over the book.  I’m really curious to see where Jaye takes his character in the upcoming books.

Leetra:  She’s hurting, poor thing.  I liked seeing her perspective for the first time.  She has an interesting backstory and a lot of recover from.  Her arc was probably the most significant.

Timothy:  *hides*  I didn’t like him as much in this book.  He was still great, but there were times when I felt like he acted out of character.

What I liked:  This book is very un-put down-able.  The moment I saw that I received an ARC from Jaye, I started reading. I finished the book late that night.  (Seriously, it was about two when I finally went to bed.)  While this one may be less plot-centered, I still enjoyed seeing the interactions between the characters.  I was looking foward to seeing Crete, and that certainly didn’t disapoint.  The Cretes are rather unique, and not cliche.  Their country and culture was very well written.  As previously mentioned, Prince Daniel’s perspective is amazing.  All the Jayrin moments.  And the cover is beautiful.

What I didn’t like:  I was a little disappointed that Kaden wasn’t as big of a part in this book.  We do get to see more of Kyrin’s brothers, and I liked that.  All of our ships are getting together!  So why did I put this in the didn’t like section?  It was rather romance heavy.  We’ve been waiting for a lot of the characters to finally get together, so that was nice.  Just be aware that there is more couples in this book.

To sum up:  I loved the book.  There was a bit more romance than I was expecting, but overall the book was very enjoyable.  4.5 stars.  Go buy the whole series right now!

Available now on Amazon!

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Author Interview:

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot or spirit animal and why?  (Dragon, wolf, etc.)

A blue jay/Steller’s jay. When I chose Jaye L. Knight as my pen name, I chose a jay as my logo. Blue Jay is also my reenactment camp name now. 🙂 The jay came from my name, obviously, and I’m obsessed with the color blue (like, crazy obsessed), so a blue jay is an obvious choice.

That’s cool!  I like Blue Jays. 🙂  Changing topics: What is the most difficult thing about writing for you?

Having enough time. I feel like I’m always short on time. In a perfect world, I would only be a writer and dedicate myself to that every day, but alas, I’m not quite to the point where I can only make a living on books

I struggle a lot with that myself!  Time always seems to escape me.  What’s the weirdest or craziest thing you have done in the name of writing?

Bought a pair of shackles and had my brother lock me in them. Lol! It was actually for a cover photoshoot, but it was good research too.

I hope he didn’t hide the key! 😛  My brothers would do that.  Sometimes things write themselves into books without the author ever meaning to put them there.  Did anything surprise you while writing Exiles?

Probably the biggest surprise was having my character, Charles, from the previous book show up. He wasn’t supposed to, but then I was struck with inspiration and he ended up having a part in Exiles. That was fun.

I would never have guessed.  I liked seeing Charles again. 😉 Last question.  Does writing exhaust or energize you?

Both, depending on the scene. 🙂 Exciting or romantic parts or scenes I’ve been looking forward to can energize me. Then there can be drawn out parts like battle scenes or tragic scenes that exhaust me by the time I’m finished.

 

About the Author

Jaye L. Knight is an award-winning author, homeschool graduate, and shameless tea addict with a passion for Christian fantasy. 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. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

You can connect with Jaye on her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Etsy.

Giveaway!

Share in the excitement of the release and enter to win a themed giveaway pack! Prizes include an autographed copy of Exiles, a pewter dragon necklace by treasurecast, and a sword letter opener!

(Giveaway is open to US residents only. Cannot be shipped internationally.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Be sure to check out the other stops in the blog tour for Character Interviews, Excerpts, and more!

Thursday, August 10

• Book Spotlight at A Pinch of Faith

Friday, August 11

• Character Interview at Reality Reflected
• Review at Tricia Mingerink
• Book Spotlight at She Hearts Fiction
• Review and Excerpt at Literary Cafe
• Character Interview and Excerpt at A Day In The Life
• Author Interview at The World of the Writer
• Review at WritingAnyone
• Review and Character Interview at Meagan Davenport
• Review and Special Post at R535 Blog
• Review at Leah’s Bookshelf
• Author Interview and Excerpt at Liv K. Fisher
• Review, Character Interview, and Excerpt at The Elven Padawan
• Review and Author Interview at Books and Arrows
• Review and Author Interview at The Artful Author
• Review and Character Interview at Red Lettering
• Review and Author Interview at PageTurners
• Review and Author Interview at Sutori no Hana
• Review and Character Interview at Bookends

Saturday, August 12

• Review and Excerpt at Thriving Hope
• Book Spotlight at Today, by Bryn
• Review at Honey Rock Hills
• Excerpt at Rachel Rossano’s Words
• Excerpt at Tell Tale Book Reviews
• Excerpt at The Overactive Imagination
• Review and Author Interview at One Word At A Time
• Author Interview at Marrok Macintyre
• Review and Author Interview at Sarah, Plain & Average
• Review at A Camera and a Dreamer
• Review and Excerpt at Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections
• Character Spotlight at God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae
• Review and Author Interview at Sarah Allerding
• Author Interview and Excerpt at Dreams and Dragons
• Review and Character Interview at Resting Life
• Review and Character Interview at The Music of a Story
• Review and Character Interview at Ruffles and Grace

Sunday, August 13

• Review at Woman at the Well
• Review at Lakeside Publications
• Review at Ember’s Reviews
• Review and Author Interview The Ink Lizard
• Excerpt at Lianne Taimenlore
• Book Spotlight at Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

Monday, August 14

• Review at Backing Books

Tuesday, August 15

• Review at Morgan Elizabeth Huneke