Title: Gaia
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Series: Wings of War
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Publication date: July 26th 2015
Pages: 294 (paperback)
Source: Received from author (Thank you!!)
Buy links: Amazon
Watchers and Angels are at war. Which side will Ember choose?
Humankind is on the precipice of the apocalypse.
As the Demons grow bolder and the walls between the planes of existence weaken, Ember is forced to develop her powers as quickly as possible, and she seeks out a powerful earth Watcher to continue her supernatural lessons. Her glimpse of the future demands she fight the dark forces spreading across the earth.
But her new mentor has his own agenda, making her question everyone and everything she ever trusted.
When Ember is thrust into the world of the Watchers, she learns of their plans - ones that defy the scripture and make them enemies of the Celestial Host. Ridding the world of evil gets complicated when it becomes impossible to take sides.
As Ember struggles with morality, she soon discovers that there's something more frightening than anything she's faced before.
Goodreads
Ember ended with a huge climax. So much happened near
the ending that my head was about to explode. All this time I have been pretty
excited to get my hands on the sequel. It had been a while since I read Embers so I forgot some of the details
but since Gaia started right after Embers ended the details came back to me
and it was easy to fall back into the world of the Wings of War series.
This series
by Karen Ann Hopkins is truly amazing. By now I know that she is an excellent
writer but still her books keep blowing me away. It is so easy to get sucked
into the world and atmosphere she creates in her books. If you thought that
there was already a lot happening in Embers
than you are up for a really nice treat because so much happened in Gaia. There was almost no time to catch
your breath so many things happened. Were Embers
focused a lot on romance, Gaia focused
a lot more on the action parts. And I loved it!
Ember was
still as amazing as in the first book. She is so fierce, smart and strong. Her determination
to do the right thing no matter what the cost is really admiring. It is easy to
identify yourself with her because she also has her faults and her weaknesses. She
is just a human being like us even though she is not really human. Ember grew a
lot in the first book, she learned about her powers and her true identity. In the
second book she keeps growing as a character. She tackles the obstacles that
are thrown at her with ease and she learns how to control herself and her
powers. I loved seeing how she got more confident with herself and her powers.
Swayer the other main character of this book was still the same as in the first book. He is still a bit of a mystery to me. There are still so many things we have to learn about him and his past. And I cannot wait to find out more things about him. I had the feeling that he did not grow a lot in this book. Mostly he was just there for Ember whenever she needed him. So I hope to see more of him in the next book.
Swayer the other main character of this book was still the same as in the first book. He is still a bit of a mystery to me. There are still so many things we have to learn about him and his past. And I cannot wait to find out more things about him. I had the feeling that he did not grow a lot in this book. Mostly he was just there for Ember whenever she needed him. So I hope to see more of him in the next book.
The Watcher
history is really interesting and I loved learning more about it. The war
between the factions, there animosity with the angels…. Everything is just so intriguing.
Overall I really liked the book. It was fast paced and it kept me on the edge
of my seat the entire time. I would highly recommend this series to any fans of
paranormal fiction. And to the ones who love to read fantasy books. The ending
of this book like the previous one was great and I cannot wait till the next
book in this series comes out!
Interview
Q: Both your other series are contemporary books set in an Amish culture. What made you decide to venture into the paranormal genre?A: I love writing Amish fiction, but after I’d finished the Temptation series and book one of my Amish mystery series, Serenity’s Plain Secrets, I needed a short break from the Plain culture. Embers had been a daydream of mine for many years, long before I began writing Temptation. Fantasy and paranormal had always been my favorite genres, so I took and chance and created the Wings of War series.
Q: In Embers there were some epic battles between good and evil. Can we expect those again in Gaia?
A: Oh yes, and on a much grander scale! Gaia is a roller coaster ride from start to finish. I also got to add a few scenes in an Amish community, which I think my Amish readers will enjoy very much.
Q: There are a lot of YA books about angels and demons out there. How does your series stand out against all the others?
A: Honestly, I haven’t read any others, so I can’t really compare. It’s the same with my Amish books. I try not to read books in the same genre in fear of corrupting my own ideas and plot development. But I can say that the Wings of War series is epic in scope. I worked hard to create a world that the reader would believe in, even the supernatural aspects. I also did a lot of biblical research on the rapture and angels in general. I infused legend, lore and historical references into the books, along with scripture verses from the bible.
Q: A lot of things happened to Ember and the people she cares about at the end of Embers. How will she deal with all that in Gaia?
A: Ember is a touch cookie, a true survivor. She deals with her actions, justifying them in her mind as just and unavoidable, but they’re always with her, making her question her own goodness deep down. Gaia is an action filled segment of the series and Ember doesn’t have a lot of time to worry about the consequences of her choices.
Q: Ember’s and Sawyer’s relationship is not exactly easy. How would you describe their relationship in five words?
A: Passionate, loyal, honest, frightening, hopeful.
Q: How many books can we expect in this series?
A: I’m planning five books in the Wings of War series. The first four books will focus on Ember learning a new element; fire, earth, water and air. The fifth book will be a culmination of all the books and the conclusion to the series, when Ember and her friends face the apocalypse. The next book in the series is TEMPTEST. It will be available late spring 2016.
Q: Is there anything you would like to tell your readers?
A: Thank you for being a part of Gaia’s blog tour! I love to connect with readers on my Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram or at www.karenannhopkins.com. Please be on the lookout for the release of SECRETS IN THE GRAVE, the third installment in my mystery series, Serenity’s Plain Secrets, in early September! Thanks for reading!
Karen Ann Hopkins
Giveaway
One lucky winner will receive a $50 gift card (Amazon, B&N, iTunes), as well as a complete set of Karen's YA books, including Embers, Gaia, Temptation, Belonging, Forever, and Rachel's Deception! Please enter via the Rafflecopter form. Giveaway is open internationally.About the author
Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens , ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her fist book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah. Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse but at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her fist horse when she turned eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with her YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible. more books in the Temptation series are in the works.
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Tour Schedule
Monday, August 24th
Bittersweet Enchantment (Review)
A Bookish Escape (Review)
Behind the Pages (Guest Post)
Lose Time Reading (Review)
Wednesday, August 26th
Taking It One Book at a Time (Guest Post)
Thursday, August 27th
Such a Novel Idea (Review)
The Perks of Being a Book Girl (Guest Post)
Friday, August 18th
Avid Reader Musings (Review/Guest Post)
Books and Things (Guest Post)
Monday, August 31st
Bewitched Bookworms (Guest Post)
Pause Time Reviews (Review/Guest Post)
Tuesday, September 1st
A Dream Within a Dream (Review)
Addicted Readers (Guest Post)
Wednesday, September 2nd
Actin' Up with Books (review)
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club (Guest Post)
Thursday, September 3rd
Sassy Book Lovers (Review/Guest Post)
Fire and Ice (Interview)
Friday, September 4th
Read by Amanda (Review)
Curling Up With A Good Book (Guest Post)
Monday, September 7th
A Book Addict's Bookshelves (Review/Interview)
Bumbles and Fairy-Tales (Review)
Tuesday, September 8th
The Cheshire Cat's Looking Glass (Guest Post)
Wednesday, September 9th
On Writing and Riding (Interview)
Little Miss Drama Queen (Review)
Thursday, September 10th
Book Lovers Life (Guest Post)
So Bookalicious (Review/Interview)
Friday, September 11th
Rainy Days and Pajamas (Review)
Her Book Thoughts (Review)
Monday, September 14th
the bookdragon (Interview)
God's Girl, Books and Coffee (Review/Interview)
Tuesday, September 15th
Don't Fold the Page (Review)
Jessie Marie Reads (Review/Guest Post)
Sassy & Dangerous (Guest Post)
Wednesday, September 16th
Mortal Moments (Review/Guest Post)
Roxy's Review (Review/Guest Post)
Thursday, September 17th
The Forest of Words and Pages (Review)
Hearrs Reading (Review/Interview)
Friday, September 18th
Literary Meanderings (Guest Post)
