A Dream Within A Dream: Gaia Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

http://www.kismetbt.com/gaia-the-wings-of-war-series-book-2-cover-reveal-and-blog-tour/

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the GAIA blog tour! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book with you - and don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, check out the schedule posted at the bottom of the page or click on the banner above.

Gaia (Wings of War #2)

Author: Karen Ann Hopkins

Genre: YA Paranormal

Description:

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.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25086524-gaia?ac=1

I've been dying to read this book since I finished the last one - about a year ago. The first book of the series, Embers, was phenomenal - and I was so excited to see what was going to happen next. I know that at times the first book in a series can be awesome, only to completely tank in the following installments. I wasn't really afraid of this happening with this series though - I've read several of the author's other books and they were all fantastic. Luckily, I definitely wasn't disappointed - the story went far beyond any hopes I may have had. Ember continues to be a fantastic main character. She's a smart, strong - emotionally and physically - and determined heroine who remains realistic and easy to identify with because of her faults and weaknesses. She's cautious and level-headed, and down to earth. Ember's character grew a lot in the first book after she learned her true identity and fate. She continues to mature and grow as a character in this book as well. We see her rise to the occasion several times throughout the story when she's faced with obstacles and big problems, and I loved watching her character mature and grow more confident and sure of herself.

The plot was unique and riveting - I was hooked from the first few words of the book and didn't stop reading until I had finished the entire novel. It's a wonderful blend of several genres, ranging from paranormal and fantasy to action and adventure and even some romance. The author effortlessly wove these various types of fiction together to create a one of a kind book (and series) that keeps me begging for more. It was easy to relate to Ember, and the author's descriptions throughout the book were vivid and detailed - to the point that I could imagine myself in the story beside Ember while everything is happening. I continued to love learning about the Watchers - their history, purpose, the war between factions, the coming rapture and end times - it gave a deeper level to the story and helps to set it apart from others in the genre. The book was definitely fast paced and had me devouring each page to see what was going to happen next. I very highly recommend this book to fans of paranormal fiction along with those who enjoy fantasy, action, adventure, and apocalyptic fiction. I'm already eagerly awaiting the next book's release to see where things will go next. There's tons of potential for the story line and the series, and paired with an author who has an amazing gift - I can't wait to read the rest!

Don't forget to check out the first book in the series:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24903355-embers

There are descendants of angels walking among us. Ember is one of them. And she may be the only hope mankind has as the rapture approaches and evil rises.

Embers is an epic paranormal adventure about an eighteen year old girl who discovers that she's immune to fire and any other injury when she’s in a horrific car crash that kills her parents. Following a violent episode with her aunt's boyfriend, Ember flees Ohio to live with an old relative in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Ember's exuberance at escaping a bad home life soon turns to trepidation when she finds out that she's a Watcher, a descendant of angels. While Ember learns about her heritage and the powers that go along with it, she strikes up friendships with two young men who live in a frightening walled compound in the forest. Inexplicably drawn to one of the men in particular, an impossible romance develops. But it is cut short when Ember discovers that her new friends are fighting on the opposite side of a war—one that’s been raging between two factions of Watchers for thousands of years. When the compound’s inhabitants threaten the townspeople, Ember takes action, sealing her fate in the ancient battle of good versus evil—and the grayness in between. Ember is up to the challenge, until she realizes that she isn’t only fighting for the lives of the locals and the souls of her new friends. She also might be one of the few champions who will make a stand for all of mankind as the rapture approaches and the end of days begin.

Embers is a dark and gritty YA novel that’s the first book in the series, The Wings of War.

Buy Link: Amazon

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 first 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 bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first 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 the 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.

Tour Wide 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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Exclusive Reviewer Giveaway:

For a little something extra special, Karen is offering up a second giveaway open to anyone who posts a review of EMBERS or GAIA. Please head to the tour page to enter!