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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Review and Giveaway Innovera Yakov: The Journey of A Thousand Eyes by Kia Garriques Book Tour

Innovera Yakov – The Journey of A Thousand Eyes takes you into a world of excitement and danger where thoughts and feelings are overheard and minds can travel to other worlds. Be prepared to immerse yourself in a world where falling in love could cost you your life and nothing is as it seems. Innovera Yakov – The Journey of A Thousand Eyes is the first book in an action-packed fantasy drama series where characters with powers of healing and destruction live, love, compete and disappear without a trace while they are being prepared for the Journey.

My Review:
Sometimes you hear me calling. Sometimes I think you don't want to see me anymore. You hardly ever listen. You hardly come now when I call. What have I done? What have I not done for you! What won't I do? For you!

It's a book that will captivate the reader from the first page. A book in which the struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness takes on a new look.

The author skillfully builds a world of light. Everything is color and beauty and everything should be goodness and purity. But things are not so. There are things and beings (very) bad and boundaries are constantly under threat of darkness and its inhabitants. And if that were all, it would still be good. That because on the story’s way Innovera’s world develops Purgatory characteristic. But here nobody is judged, all that matter is just the facts, faith and hope of success. It's an intermediary world where the innoverians prepare themselves for the great journey that will follow, for their development. Nobody knows where they come from, but each will decide where will go.
"Every Innoveran has a reason for being here; even the ones you believe are bad. Your purpose is to heal and not to judge."
Then the characters will impress. They are special and many will be cherished by readers. The author outlines different characters and skills. It will be difficult for the reader to not personally involved, not suffer or rejoice with them. Good or bad (at least so far) each character has his important place and participates in the success or in the ruin of the group that passage to perfection.
"Many amongst you wish to live in no other world but this one. But you must move on. It is the great law that governs every world there is: all life must move on and be replaced by other lives."
To stay behind is not possible. The journey is not an easy one, not everybody will reach the destination. This trip (an initiation one) will provide the opportunity for spectacular and deadly confrontations. Neither the main characters are exempt from the danger that comes in many different and unexpected ways.

Of course there are love stories also. There are not some trivial ones, but deep and sad. Beautiful stories with an uncertain end, forgotten love, found again, reclaimed or lost perhaps forever. Shared or not, they influence the course of events and determine choices and sacrifices. Definitely will steal the reader sighs.
‘You don't have to be with her to stay with her. It's two different things. If what you feel for her is any good or real then not having her will not stop you caring.
In addition to the trip they make together, each character goes through its own journey to discover itself. Who or what it is and where it is going. It’s not easy and the mysteries does not seem to be solve.

The book's pace follows the story. If the beginning is smooth, slowly, as events occur it becomes more alert and goes to flow like a mountain river full of rapids and unexpected bends.

The end comes too soon and maybe that's my only "criticism", especially that it’s coming right after one of my favorite character looks (I don’t want to accept "is") lost. This ending brings no resolution, no closure and will certainly leave the readers longing for the next volume.
«„There is the world that awaits us. [...]

„You can come with me, or remain here and die.”»
 I received the book for review as part of Book Tour - Thank you!

Romanian:
Sometimes you hear me calling. Sometimes I think you don't want to see me anymore. You hardly ever listen. You hardly come now when I call. What have I done? What have I not done for you! What won't I do? For you!

E o carte care va captiva cititorul de la prima pagină. O carte în care lupta dintre bine şi rău, dintre lumină şi întuneric capătă o înfățişare nouă.

Autoarea construieşte cu talent o lume a luminii. Totul e culoare şi frumusețe şi totul ar trebui să fie bunătate şi puritate. Dar lucrurile nu stau chiar aşa. Există lucruri şi ființe (foarte) rele, iar granițele sunt mereu sub amenințarea întunericului şi a locuitorilor lui. Şi dacă asta ar fi totul, ar fi încă bine. Pentru că pe parcurs lumea Innoverei prinde caractere similare Purgatoriului. Aici însă nu este nimeni judecat, aici contează doar faptele, credința şi speranța reuşitei. Este o lume intermediară în care innoverienii se pregătesc pentru marea călătorie ce va urma, pentru evoluția lor. Nimeni nu ştie de unde vine, dar fiecare va decide unde se va îndrepta.
"Every Innoveran has a reason for being here; even the ones you believe are bad. Your purpose is to heal and not to judge."
Apoi vor impresiona personajele. Sunt deosebite şi multe vor fi îndrăgite de către cititori. Autoarea conturează caractere şi aptitudini diferite. Va fi dificil pentru cititor să nu se implice personal, să nu sufere şi să se bucure alături de ele. Bun sau rău (cel puțin până acum) fiecare personaj are locul lui important şi participă la reuşita sau ruina grupului de călători spre desăvârşire.
"Many amongst you wish to live in no other world but this one. But you must move on. It is the great law that governs every world there is: all life must move on and be replaced by other lives."
A rămâne în urmă nu e posibil. Călătoria nu este una uşoară, nu toți care vor pleca vor ajunge la destinație. Această călătorie (inițiatică deopotrivă) va oferi ocazia unor confruntări spectaculoase şi letale. Personajele principale nu sunt scutite nici ele de pericolul ce vine sub cele mai diferite şi neaşteptate forme.

Bineînțeles că există şi poveşti de dragoste. Nu sunt unele banale, ci unele profunde, triste. Poveşti frumoase al căror final este incert, iubiri uitate, iubiri regăsite sau pierdute poate pentru totdeauna. Împărtăşite sau nu, ele influențează cursul evenimentelor şi determină alegeri şi sacrificii. Cu siguranță vor fura suspinele cititorului.
"You don't have to be with her to stay with her. It's two different things. If what you feel for her is any good or real then not having her will not stop you caring."
În afară de călătoria pe care o fac împreună, fiecare personaj duce propria călătorie prin care trebuie să se descopere pe sine. Cine sau ce este şi unde se îndreaptă. Nu este uşor şi misterele par să nu se dezlege.

Ritmul cărții urmăreşte povestea. Dacă la început este unul lin, domol, pe măsură ce evenimentele au loc el devine din ce în ce mai alert ajungând să curgă ca un râu de munte plin de praguri şi coturi neprevăzute.

Finalul vine prea repede şi poate asta e singura mea”critică”, mai ales că vine imediat după ce unul dintre personajele mele preferate pare (nu vreau să cred că „este”) pierdut. Acest final nu aduce nicio rezoluție, nu încheie nicio etapă şi cu siguranță va lăsa în urmă cititorii tânjind după următorul volum.
«„There is the world that awaits us. [...]

„You can come with me, or remain here and die.”»
Audio Link

Kia Garriques studied writing and English literature at University and has been a published short story writer since 2009. Her first story “The Invisible Alien Watcher” was published by Micro Horror in 2009 and reprinted by Pill Hill Press in 2011. Innovera Yakov: The Journey of a Thousand Eyes – is her first novel in the ‘Worlds’ series. 


Excerpt

Blu Tara stared her sister in the face.

‘Let me tell you what you don't know about love, Gamma. It is a curse. You will scoop out your core and abandon it just to have the Being that you love. You will steal another person's life force if it makes it easier to get it. You will abandon the world you have been cradled in, betray everything and everyone you care for. You’ll give up your name for it.’

Blu Tara's voice went soft and dreamy. ‘You will gladly close your eyes and embrace the world of darkness. You will kill or die for it. And you will hate yourself for the weakness that it brings on you. So don’t talk to me about love.’ 
Gamma shook her head. ‘You're not making sense,’ Blu Tara. ‘You talk as if... I’m the one who should be upset about all this.’ 
Blu Tara lifted her hand dismissively. She pointed a hot finger at Gamma. 
‘Anyway don’t forget what we are.’
 'And what are we?’ Gamma glared at her.. 'Different. Strange. Something to be frightened of. Two Beings that can fuse and burn everything to ashes. That's the way they all see us down there. That's what the Stardog wants from you - the powers you possess. ‘I hate them all. With their suspicious, shiny faces and their empty games. I hate that Voice which drones on and on at us in the Learning Dome as soon as we've finished resting. Innoverans! All those perfect, pretty Beings; they remember nothing — it’s the curse of this shallow, shining world. Tell me, Gamma - what do you remember of the world we come from before your Odors Apeno dumped us here?’
Gamma swung around to face her sister fully. ‘Blu Tara! What's got into you? Where’s all that coming from? I've never heard you speak like that before. This is about Krave and I- not you!’ 
'Krave and you - don't make me laugh. And, oh! Here’s a big difference — between you and I this time, Twin Sister. It’s the answer to your question that you brought me up here to ask.’ Blu Tara mimicked Gamma's soft and musical voice, Why do you want to kill Krave? Here's the answer, Gamma. I will do whatever I have to do to save myself. I'm the half of you that's not like you. I don't have a weeping heart. Now I'm out of here. I need my Rest.

Tour Giveaway 
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 5/5/13
The Book Tour and Giveaway were organized by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer a Rafflecopter giveaway  

1 comment:

Claudia said...

Imi place acest gen de carte.