~Sutori no Hana~: Half-Blood Blog Tour: Author Interview and Book Review + Giveaway!

A little while back we had the honor of helping out with the cover reveal for Jaye L. Knight's newest book in the Ilyon Chronicles, Half-Blood. We are pleased to be able now to share with you the officially released book!

Summary: The gasps and murmuring grew. Though some were hardly more than whispers, clear words reached Jace’s ears—dangerous, monster, animal, soulless. He tried to back away from their accusing eyes, but the collar pulled hard against his throat and held him in place.

For all his years as a slave, Jace has known nothing but the hatred people hold for his mixed blood—one half human, the other half the blood of a race considered monsters. Always, he is the outsider and quickly learns it is better to keep to himself. But, when his volatile ryrik blood leads him to do the unthinkable, he is thrown into a world of violence and bloodshed.

Forced to become a gladiator, Jace finds more and more of his heart dying as his master works to break down his will not to become the monster everyone believes he is. When a stranger interferes with his master’s harsh punishment, Jace’s world is upended yet again. But with it comes the possibility of hope that has long since died. Could the man possibly hold the key to escaping the hopeless darkness that is Jace’s life? Is there such a thing as life beyond the cruelty of slavery?

See where Jace’s story all began . . .

Thoughts: Well, not too much of this story was unknown to previous readers of Resistance and the King's Scrolls...but that didn't make it hurt any less. This is a story of tragedy, brutality, and the breaking of a gentle heart. Jace's story is a tough one to face but that probably makes the end, and the knowledge of where he is now, all the more uplifting. While she didn't enter into this book, reading Jace's past life simply made me love Kyrin's scenes with him all the more! This is a novella and would be a quick read if it wasn't so tear jerking but the beautiful end assures us that there is always hope in God's world!

Content: This is definitely the most violent of Jaye's stories, but she keeps it from being offensive and focuses more on the point, the why and how it affects the characters. There is also mention of 'volatile acts' against women, but this is handled tactfully to, again, make a point without being offensive or inappropriate. So aside from nearly illegal amounts of heartbreak and suffering induced almost as much on the reader and the characters, this is a safe and clean read!

Available on Amazon!

Buy Now

Add to Goodreads

Discover Ilyon in Resistance and The King’s Scrolls.

And now for the interview:

Hi Jaye! First off, what was your inspiration for Half-Blood? Why did you decide to tell Jace's past?

Once I discovered during the writing and planning process that Jace had been a gladiator, I had a lot of ideas in my mind for his back story. Originally, I wanted to write his meeting with Rayad from his point of view as a short story. That sat around for a long while until this last winter when I was discussing it with my mom. We both thought it would be a good idea for me to write the story and offer it as a freebie. Well, as my stories have a tendency to do, it grew . . . and grew . . . and grew. Every time I’d start writing, I had ideas for scenes earlier in his life. Next thing I knew, I was starting out when he was six years old and I wrote it all from there. Since Jace’s days as a slave and gladiator completely shape who he is in the main series, I wanted for readers to be able to see that time in his life so they could understand him even better and see just how much he grows and changes by the end of it all.

Why gladiators? What inspired your idea of using gladiators as part of your story?

Jace didn’t start out as a former gladiator, just a slave. About halfway into writing Resistance, I happened to watch a show on the History Channel about gladiators. It was so fascinating that it really got my imagination flowing. The next thing I knew, all these ideas for Jace started pouring in. Now I can’t imagine Jace as anything else. It’s just one of the ways God has shaped this story as I’ve gone along.

And last but not least, do you have any plans for future novellas?

As I mentioned, my stories have a tendency to grow beyond what I originally planned. (Just look at Ilyon Chronicles. It started out as a trilogy.) But I do have a series of three stories I’ve been planning for a while that may be novellas. I won’t know until I actually write them. I also have a Cinderella story I’d love to write that would probably be novella length.

Oh! That sounds so great! I can't wait to see those!

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, Google+, Twitter, Etsy, and on her new fiction forum where you can interact with other readers of the series!

Displaying GiveawayBanner.jpg

Giveaway

Share in the excitement of the release and enter to win a themed giveaway pack! Prizes include an autographed copy of Half-Blood, a blue feather bookmark hand crafted by Jaye, a bronze sword pendant, and a $5 Amazon gift card! (Giveaway is open to US residents only. Cannot be shipped internationally.)
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1f7330c116/

And be sure to check out the rest of the blogs on the tour!

Tuesday, July 14