Welcome to my stop on the ETERNAL NIGHT blog tour! Today I have my review of the book to share with you! Read on for more info on the book and the author.
Eternal Night
Author: Carina Adly MacKenzie
Genre: YA Fantasy/Mythology
Release Date: August 26, 2014
Publisher: The Studio (a Paper Lantern Lit imprint)
Description:
There are gods among us...
Six
young gods are hiding in plain sight among mortals, living secretly in
cities across the world. From lavish penthouse soirees to pulsing
underground clubs, for them, the party literally never ends. Until now.
On
a hot June morning, the body of a beautiful girl is found floating in
the rooftop pool of the Jefferson Hotel, her white-ink tattoos revealing
the story of a life much longer than seems possible. Only the immortals
know the truth: Nadia was the goddess of hope. Now she’s gone, and the
world as they know it is ending. The Hudson River has turned blood red.
Storms rage overhead. Mania is rapidly spreading across the globe.
It
is up to the remaining gods—Lola, Dean, Weston, Mark, Nike and
Peitha—to put aside centuries of betrayal and heartbreak, and stop the
mysterious source of darkness that is taking over… before the sun sets
forever.
Carina Adly MacKenzie, writer for The CW's hit series
"The Originals," has penned a steamy, romantic, and ultimately
redemptive story of forgotten gods, the persistence of hope, and the
power of love to save us.
Eternal Night is a perfect blend of mythological gods and goddesses within a contemporary setting. The book focuses on the remaining six gods and goddesses who have basically lost their powers and now live on Earth among the mortals as regular people. Things seem to be going like the usually do, until the morning the paper reports an "angel" being found dead in a swimming pool at the top of the Jefferson Hotel. Right after that happens, the East River and the Hudson River turn blood red. The mythological friends gather to attempt to figure out what's happening. The truth is devastating - one of their own, a goddess named Nadia, was the "angel" who died in the pool. It now seems that an ancient prophecy detailing the end of the world is beginning to come true - and it's up to the the remaining gods to stop the prophecy before the darkness takes over forever.
I have to admit that I was immediately drawn to this book after reading the description. Then, after finding out that the author is a writer for "The Originals" show on The CW - which I LOVE - I knew I had to get my hands on it. I didn't really know what to expect but I did have high hopes for the book because of the premise and how much I love the tv show. I'm so happy to report that I was definitely not disappointed in the least. The book is full of so many layers - from varying points of view to mythological histories and relationships between everyone - that it kept me eagerly reading until I finished the book (in one sitting). The book is told in an unique way. It is separated first into days and within the "day" chapters, there are several different characters telling a part of the story from their point of view. For example, we have Day 1 - and within that section of the book we'll hear from Dean, Lola, and Nike. The story really varies between all of the gods, so we get to know each of them very personally by the end of the book. I loved each of the gods. They all had unique personalities with distinct traits and flaws - which actually matched up with the ancient gods they are descended from. I thought this angle was a great touch by the author and it seemed to authenticate the characters as both mythological gods and realistic people at the same time. We learn a lot about each of the characters - their histories, relationships with one another, issues they are having or have been dealing with - basically everything that you could want to know. I honestly came to love (or at least like) all of them before the end of the book and found myself feeling like I knew them and could empathize easily with them all.
The plot of the book is phenomenal and wholly original. The author mixes various "end of the world" prophecies and stories together to create the situations in the book. I loved that she pulled from different cultures and religions to make the prophecy and how things are carried out according to it. The writing was magnificent - I honestly couldn't believe that it's the author's debut novel. I felt immediately transported into the story from the first paragraph and it was like I was right beside all of the characters as the story unfolded. There was a great amount of detail along with vivid imagery and descriptions that made it seem authentic and natural. The pace of the story was fast - some parts had me reading so fast I was afraid I was going to miss something because I just had to know what was going to happen. Overall, this is one heck of a debut novel. It blends so many genres together - action, fantasy, mythology, adventure, dystopia, romance, and more - that I don't think you can really pin it down to one category. And it shouldn't be labeled as just one. The author did a terrific job entwining the genres, the characters with all their histories and their issues, and the impending doom of the planet, into a mesmerizing novel that makes the reader beg for more. I very highly recommend this one to fans of mythology and fantasies, along with those who want something fresh and new - an honestly unique and outstanding novel. I'll definitely be (impatiently) waiting for the author's next release.
Favorite NYC books
When I was asked to put
together a list of my favorite books about New York, the first book that came
to mind was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith. This isn’t just my
favorite book about New York, it’s my favorite book, period. It’s a sprawling
coming-of-age story about a family in NYC in the early 20th century.
I think I’ve read it a hundred times – I’m not exaggerating. One summer, my
family was on a sailing trip, and my sister asked to borrow the book, and
though I’d read it a thousand times, I was so jealous that she was reading it at that particular moment, I made
her read out loud every time we were in the same room. That is how much I love this book – I can
start it at any point, open it up to any page, and just read. Every time I read
it I find something new to love. Not only about the book, and about New York
City, but also about coffee and pickles and the smell of paper.
The next book that came to
mind is American Psycho. While I disagree with about 99% of
everything Bret Easton Ellis has ever said, this book is a weird dark head-trip
of a masterpiece. I re-read it recently after watching “Wolf of Wall Street” –
because it seems like there’s a very fine line between Leonardo DiCaprio’s
character and Patrick Bateman. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Emily
Giffin’s Something Borrowed. It’s not exactly the grittiest
version of NYC, but oh man, if this isn’t the NYC I’d want to live in. In the
YA realm, there’s none better than Dash
& Lily’s Book of Dares, a fun wintertime romance about an unlikely
search for connection in a city that can feel kind of isolating.
Carina
Adly MacKenzie grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she boldly
defied the no-reading-at-the-dinner-table rule time and time again.
After studying English at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Carina
moved to Los Angeles to pursue a writing career. Carina was a television
critic and entertainment reporter for Zap2it.com, the Los Angeles
Times, and Teen Vogue, among other publications. Currently, she spends
her days obsessing over vampire sibling rivalry as a writer for The CW's
new drama, "The Originals." She loves coffee, Twitter, and her little
dog Pacey. Eternal Night is her first novel.
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