Guest post: C. T. Adams & Giveaway

With the release of The Exile by C.T. Adams, a book I really enjoyed in fact (review here), we’re really happy to welcome the author on the blog. The Exile is the first book in her The Fae series.

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World building is both the easiest, and toughest part of setting up a novel or series.  Easiest, because if you’re writing ‘real’ people they’re from somewhere, going somewhere, and reacting to something.  They stand in a reality, and they see that reality, so all you have to do is express it.  In Urban Fantasy it’s even easier, because at least part of the story takes place in our reality—and we’re here.

It’s hard  because there’s just so MUCH of it.  Where includes maps (and weather systems, water courses, city versus country), architecture, indoors, outdoors, and even underground.  What are the religions?  Does your character believe? If there are police, military types, what types of uniforms do they wear?  What weapons do they train in?  If there’s magic, what are the limits, how does it work?  If there are different species of animals, what do they look like, what do they do?  Are they the same as they are here, or different and how.  If they are magical, what are their strengths, weaknesses.  Do they look at humans as prey, equals?  Can they communicate?  How?

It can be overwhelming—particularly if you don’t write it down.

Yes, it takes time.  And time is something precious and difficult to come by.  BUT, if you don’t write it down by the time you get to Chapter 28 you will absolutely forget details about the river (and boats) you put in in Chapter 1.

But it’s absolutely worth doing well.  Because done right it immerses the reader in the book, makes them see, hear, smell, taste and generally experience what your character is going through.  And it makes them CARE and relate to your character.  Emotional buy in by the reader is awesome, difficult to come by, and dreadfully easy to lose if you don’t do the groundwork.

So it is important, even vital, to take the time and build the world.  And hey, it also gives you awesome map drawing skills, mad research skills, and weird esoteric things to talk about with readers and other writers.

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Website: http://ciesblog.blogspot.fr/

The Fae,  Book 1

Synopsis: Brianna Hai runs an occult shop that sells useless trinkets to tourists—and real magic supplies to witches and warlocks. The magical painting that hangs in Brianna’s apartment is the last portal between the fae and human worlds.

A shocking magical assault on her home reveals to Brianna that her father, High King Liu of the Fae, is under attack. With the help of her gargoyle, Pug, her friend David, and Nick, a police detective who doesn’t believe in magic, Brianna recovers what was stolen from her and becomes an unwilling potential heir to the throne.

Thanks to the publisher, you can win a copy of The Exile by C.T. Adams. The giveaway is open to US & CAN only.

 

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The Exile by C.T. Adams

The Fae,  Book 1

Synopsis: Brianna Hai runs an occult shop that sells useless trinkets to tourists—and real magic supplies to witches and warlocks. The magical painting that hangs in Brianna’s apartment is the last portal between the fae and human worlds.

A shocking magical assault on her home reveals to Brianna that her father, High King Liu of the Fae, is under attack. With the help of her gargoyle, Pug, her friend David, and Nick, a police detective who doesn’t believe in magic, Brianna recovers what was stolen from her and becomes an unwilling potential heir to the throne.

Review: I have a major weakness when it comes to faes so when I saw the novel, I was immediately intrigued. All this was confirmed as soon as I started reading it and when I was completely swept away by the story.

I was a little surprised at first because the format is a little different from what is usually found in urban fantasy. Indeed, we follow here the POV of several characters moving around Brianna, though she remains central and recurring in the history compared to the others. I was a bit scared to see that we were left with a lot of characters without really connecting them, but this is not the case at all in this novel. Even if we follow different persons, especially Nick, Liu, and Brianna, it helps us understanding everything, especially as they advance together in the early chapters.

Brianna is a princess, the daughter of the king of the fae, but her half-human side has always set her slightly back from her siblings, especially when we know that her mother was considered as a criminal in this parallel world. This is also why the young woman lives among humans and avoids all the political shenanigans. Alas, her world will change when she finds herself attacked in her home by a variety of pixies. Accompanied by her best friend David and his brother Nick (who does not really believe in magic), our three protagonists will go in Faery to realize that troubles are just beginning. Yes, as the veil between the worlds only allows partly human individuals to go through, faes can not kidnap anyone as they used to. But the arrival of Nick and David will raise many desires and it will be very difficult for Brianna to manage all the problems it generates. But in addition to this, our heroine will also have to face the consequences of a big change: it seems that her latest actions have placed her on the list of possible heirs to the throne, something she did not really want. Political intrigues, conspiracies, betrayals, are present here.

I really enjoyed Brianna! This is a girl who really loves her father and she is willing to do anything to help the people she cares of. She is strong and courageous, but she is not really interested in becoming a sovereign. No, she only hopes to live a quiet life away from everything. Alas, it seems that all this seems impossible when on her way home, she finds herself in the midst of a political intrigue. I also loved to discover more about the faes, although eventually we still have a lot to understand as how this world is truly governed. We learn a little bit about Brianna’s past and what she had endured to get there. Liu, the king, is an interesting protagonist to discover because of his different facets, the father and the king often compete.

But as I said, we also follow Nick… Ah Nick… We feel that there is an attraction between the two characters and at the same time there is no time for anything, I’m curious to see if we feel something more present in the next volumes. The only things that disturbed me a little are all the stories with the police in the human world. I admit that I had trouble seeing why Brianna was the suspect, and why everyone was interested in her that way, but this is ultimately a detail.

In any case, I had a great time with this novel. We have a good introduction to the series. It takes us from the first chapter and we’re pleased until the end. I am now very curious to read more to find out the next Brianna’s actions, especially after such a purpose. A very good story to discover!

 

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The Exile de C.T. Adams (VO)

The Fae, Tome 1

Résumé (traduction personnelle) : Brianna Hai tient un magasin vendant des bibelots occultes inutiles aux touristes – et des fournitures magiques réelles pour sorciers et sorcières. La peinture magique qui pend dans l’appartement de Brianna est le dernier portail entre les mondes faes et humains.

Un assaut magique à son domicile révèle à Brianna que son père, le Haut Roi des Faes, Liu, est sous attaque. Avec l’aide de sa gargouille, Pug, son ami David, et Nick, un détective de la police qui ne croit pas à la magie, Brianna récupère ce qui lui a été volé et devient une héritière potentielle du trône.

Avis : J’ai un gros faible dès qu’il est question de faes alors quand j’ai vu le roman, j’ai tout de suite été intriguée. Tout cela s’est confirmé dès que j’ai commencé la lecture et que j’ai été complètement emportée par l’histoire.

J’ai été un peu surprise au départ car le format est un peu différent de ce que l’on retrouve en urban fantasy. En effet, nous suivons ici le point de vue de plusieurs personnages évoluant autour de Brianna, même si cette dernière reste récurrente et centrale dans l’histoire comparée aux autres. J’ai eu un peu peur de voir que nous nous retrouvions avec beaucoup de personnages sans vraiment les connecter mais ce n’est pas du tout le cas. Même si on suit différents points de vue, on retrouve surtout Nick, Liu, et Brianna ce qui aide à la compréhension, notamment quand ils avancent ensemble dès les premiers chapitres.

Brianna est un princesse, la fille du roi des faes, mais son ascendance moitié humaine l’a toujours mise en peu en retrait par rapport à ses frères et sœurs, notamment quand on sait que sa mère était considérée comme une criminelle dans ce monde parallèle. C’est aussi pour cela que la jeune femme vit au milieu des humains et évite ainsi toutes les manigances politiques. Hélas, son monde va changer quand elle se retrouve attaquée chez elle par des sortes de pixies. Accompagnée de son meilleur ami David et de son frère Nick (qui ne croit pas vraiment à la magie), nos trois protagonistes vont partir en Faeries pour se rendre compte que les ennuis ne font que commencer. Oui, le voile entre les mondes ne laissant que passer les personnes étant en partie humaines, les faes ne peuvent plus kidnapper qui que ce soit comme ils avaient l’habitude de le faire. Mais l’arrivée de Nick et David va susciter de nombreuses envies et il sera très difficile à Brianna de gérer les problèmes que cela génère. Mais en plus de cela, notre héroïne va aussi devoir faire face aux conséquences d’un grand changement : il semblerait que ses dernières actions l’aient placée sur la liste des possibles héritiers du trône, chose qu’elle ne désire réellement pas. Intrigues politiques, complots, trahisons, voilà tout ce que l’on peut découvrir ici.

J’ai vraiment beaucoup apprécié Brianna ! C’est une jeune fille qui apprécie beaucoup son père et qui est prête à tout pour aider les gens qu’elle aime. Elle est forte et courageuse, mais n’est pas vraiment intéressée à devenir la plus grande souveraine. Non, elle espère seulement vivre une vie tranquille loin de tout. Hélas, il semble que tout cela semble impossible quand en rentrant chez elle, elle se retrouve au milieu des intrigues politiques. J’ai aussi d’ailleurs adoré en découvrir un peu plus sur la faerie, même si finalement il nous en reste beaucoup à comprendre pour savoir comment ce monde est véritablement régi. On en apprend un peu sur le passé de Brianna et ce qu’elle a enduré là bas. Liu, le roi, est un protagoniste assez intéressant à découvrir car il possède différentes facettes, le père et le roi qui entrent souvent en compétition.

Mais comme je  le disais, nous suivons aussi Nick… Ah Nick… On sent l’attirance qu’il y a entre les deux personnages et en même temps comme il n’y a pas le temps pour quoi que ce soit, je suis curieuse de voir si on ressentira quelque chose de plus présent dans les prochains tomes. La seule fille qui m’a un peu perturbée, ce sont toutes les histoires avec la police dans le monde humain. J’avoue que j’avais du mal à voir pourquoi Brianna était la personne suspectée, et pourquoi tout le monde s’intéressait à elle de cette façon, mais ce n’est au final qu’un détail.

Dans tous les cas, j’ai passé un très bon moment avec ce roman. Nous avons une bonne introduction à la série. Elle nous emporte dès le premier chapitre et on reste conquis jusqu’à la fin. Je suis à présent très curieuse de pouvoir en lire plus pour découvrir les prochains agissements de Brianna, notamment après une telle fin. Une très bonne histoire à découvrir !

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