Today, I am excited to be hosting The King's Scrolls Blog Tour. Jaye L Knight has graciously answered several questions for an interview and has provided me with a copy of her featured book, The King's Scrolls, to review. In addition, Jaye is having an awesome giveaway I am sure you will all enjoy.
Description
The King's ScrollsJaye L. Knight
Following the harrowing events that
brought them to Landale Forest, Jace and Kyrin have settled comfortably into
their new lives and the mission of protecting those under the emperor’s
persecution. The fast approach of winter brings with it the anticipation of a
quiet few months ahead. That is until the arrival of four mysterious,
dragon-riding cretes who seek aid in a mission of great importance—not only to
their own people, but to all followers of Elôm.
Hidden in the vast mining valley
north of Valcré, a faithful crete has spent years sharing his knowledge with
the destitute miners and their families and is known to possess what may be
Arcacia’s last surviving copies of the King’s Scrolls—the Word of Elôm. Joining
the cretes, those in Landale must find the crete teacher and bring him to
safety, but it is a race against time. Should Daican’s men find him first,
execution and the destruction of the Scrolls is certain.
When disaster strikes, all seems
lost. Could Elôm have a plan even in the enemy’s triumph?
Available on
Amazon!
About the Author
Jaye
L. Knight is a homeschool graduated indie author with a passion for writing
Christian fantasy and clean new adult fiction. 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, and Etsy.
Interview
Welcome to Zerina Blossom's Books! We look forward to this interview.
Why did you feel you had to
tell this story?
Well, Ilyon Chronicles
is one of those stories that kind of showed up out of nowhere and demanded to
be written. It didn’t really give me much choice. ;) But I think the reason I
felt so strongly about it is it came during a really difficult time in my life.
It was sort of a way to work through that. Also I feel very strongly about the
themes in this story—themes of God loving you even when you don’t think you
could possibly deserve it, of not treating people differently or badly just
because they’re not like you, and of sticking to your faith even through
persecution.
Those themes are very evident, which is what I love most about your books.
What was your favorite
chapter (or part) to write and why?
In The King’s Scrolls,
I think my favorite part to write was with Kyrin’s brothers. They have a much
bigger role in TKS than they did in Resistance,
and I loved working with their sibling relationships. Anything with interesting
sibling dynamics is always fun for me.
Family relationships are always interesting.
Is there any particular
author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?
The
Lord of the Rings had a huge influence on me as a teenager and even now.
I’m not sure I would be writing fantasy right now if not for discovering LOTR. It
was just after reading it that I first decided I wanted to be a true author.
Awesome!
Our study of memory in one
of my classes made my think of Kyrin's abilities. What inspired you to give
Kyrin photographic and autobiographic memory? What kind of research did you do?
That development in Kyrin’s character is one of my favorite
memories of first starting Ilyon
Chronicles. Originally, she was just going to be very observant. Then,
shortly after I started writing it, I was watching TV with my mom and saw a
commercial for the TV show, Unforgettable,
which is about a detective with a perfect memory. I consider it a God moment,
having that commercial catch my attention and inspire a critical detail about
Kyrin. As for research, I looked up some people who had this ability and read
their stories. I also ended up watching the first episode of Unforgettable, and that gave me a good
starting point for Kyrin’s abilities.
Very interesting. You did a good job with Kyrin's abilities. They appear real.
What has been the toughest
criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
I’ve gotten my share of
bad reviews on some of my earlier books. It always stings for a bit. The worst
was probably my first one star review on Resistance.
It’s not actually the worst review I’ve ever received, but just the fact that
it was Resistance made it a bit
harder since I’ve poured everything I am as a writer into this series. But
that’s a writer’s life. I’m not sure I could pick only one compliment as the
best because I’ve gotten so many wonderful reviews and sweet emails from
readers that have been a huge encouragement, but I always especially love it
when someone who doesn’t usually like fantasy tells me how much they enjoy my
books. That always brings a huge grin to my face.
We always love those good reviews!
Thank you, Jaye, for the thoughtful answers to my questions. It has been a pleasure.
Review
The King’s
Scrolls picks up Kyrin, Jace, and Kaden’s story not long after Resistance ended. Their company along
with the emperor have discovered the existence of a man writing letters about The
King’s Scrolls, the holy books of Elom. After joining forces with several cretes
and receiving dragons from the cretes for their help, the group sets off to
find this man and the last known, complete copy of The King’s Scrolls before
the emperor does.
After loving Resistance,
I found that The King’s Scrolls was
just as fantastic. Characters were added and relationships were deepened
between the characters and their God. Each of them grew spiritually as well as
in maturity. I love these books because Jaye has created a fun, adventurous
story that is balanced with deep struggle and growth in the characters that
influences me to do likewise.
A major part of The King’s Scrolls was focused on family relationships. The estrangement
of Kyrin and Kaden from their country, and therefore family, certainly took its
toll on all of them. The spiritual beliefs formed a barrier between them and
their mother, brothers, and grandfather. It was interesting to see who became
followers of Elom and who chose their own desires over family and faith.
A large portion of the book was spent in grief and
sadness over lost loved ones. The majority of the characters lost someone. They
each grew as a result of their losses, but they were devastated nonetheless. The
deep growth that resulted from the grief and struggle was well worth the effort
of reading it. All seemed lost, but hope won in the end. As a side note, I did
not find the period of the characters’ grief boring, but those who love only
the action might.
The book introduced another awesome
addition—Dragons! Did I mention that I love them? Well, dragons are a large
part of the King’s Scrolls. While they may not be sentient creatures, they
still present awesome additions to the cast of characters.
The plot was intriguing with its dramatic ups and
downs. Things never went as planned for the characters, but that is what made
the story great.
In conclusion, Jaye has written another amazing
book, with deep topics as well as an intriguing story. I eagerly look forward
to book three.
I have received a free copy of this book in
exchange for an honest review.
Sale
Haven’t begun the adventure into Ilyon? From February 17th -
23rd, get Resistance , the
award-winning first book of Ilyon
Chronicles for your Kindle on sale for only 99 cents! Check it out on Amazon!
Giveaway
Share in the excitement of the release and enter to win a
themed Epic Winter giveaway! Prize pack includes an autographed copy of The King’s Scrolls, a CD by Future World
Music (some of Jaye’s favorite writing music), a dragon bookmark, a stone hawk
pendant (much like the ones mentioned in the book), and a few packages of
Twining’s Winter Spice tea to sip while you read! (Giveaway is open to US residents only. Cannot be shipped
internationally.)
Tour Schedule
Tuesday, February 17
Wednesday, February
18
Thursday, February 19
Friday, February 20
Saturday, February 21
Sunday, February 22
Monday, February 23
Tuesday, February 24
Wednesday, February
25
This looks really interesting. I like the idea of a character with a photographic memory! Also, I don't think I've ever read a book with nonsentient dragons. I'd love to see how they're portrayed. Thanks for sharing this interview and review!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Annie. I certainly enjoyed Kyrin's memory abilities. They added a new aspect to the story. Hers and the other characters' abilities were not like some of the other abilities I have almost come to expect in fantasy. They are almost normal, or reachable. I liked it.
DeleteAnd, as usual, the dragons are awesome, even if they don't talk or think like people do.
The captivating novel has a fascinating and wonderful story with memorable characters and plot. Thanks for this great review which is intriguing.What a wonderful feature and great giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for stopping by.
DeleteThank you so much for your review and fun interview questions, Emily!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Jaye. I enjoyed your responses and your book. Thank you for letting me be part of your blog tour!
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