I received Realms of Light as an ebook so I could participate in this tour. I was so glad I read book one first because I would've been so lost reading them out of order. This isn't one of those series you can do that with. Just as a heads up.
About the Book
Book: Realms of Light
Author: Sandra Fernandez Rhoads
Genre: Christian YA Contemporary Fantasy
Release date: April 13, 2021
From the Ashes, Spring Will Rise
On the run from the brutal Sage and his army of Legions and Cormorants, seventeen-year-old Cera Marlowe knows the only place strong enough to protect her is the Alliance Council Estate.
Cera’s introduction to the Estate is far from welcoming. As a Blight, her dueling powers of light and darkness make her a half-breed threat to the Alliance’s sacred powers. Cera’s ability to decipher hidden messages in classical artwork buys her shelter temporarily, but the clock is ticking as she’s faced with a daunting choice that could cost her everything.
Click here to get your copy!
My Review:
What an incredible follow up to book one, which I read in basically a day! Realms of Light starts off immediately where Mortal Sight leaves off (thank goodness for that). You absolutely must NOT read this duology out of order.
Cera, who have I have to keep telling myself is only just turning 17 has gotten a bit better at not flying off at the mouth and being impulsive. It's easy to forget what it was like to be that age. lol Of course, then I have to keep in mind all that she has to absorb in a short amount of time and wonder how anyone could do that.
Once again this is a fast-paced, non-stop story that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat trying to read as fast as you can. It absolutely pulls you along to read faster to know what's going to happen. Speaking of which, just when Cera thinks she knows which way is up, her axis shifts. For her sake, I hope certain events go one way, but I'm not sure if that's how it's supposed to go! Insert a LOT of nail biting.
We meet a host of new characters in book 2, not all of whom I'm a fan. In fact, I may only be a fan of a couple. hahaha But, they're all pivotal to the story, which makes for good reading. A couple of them were so irritating I wanted to become a Blade and use some Paradise Steel on them. I'm pretty sure I would've been a loose cannon like Cera. She really steps up though. She really has no choice with the war that's raging around her.
Once again, I'm blown away by how the author weaves in artists and poets throughout the story. I can't imagine how a mind creates a new story out of those or even weaves them into one she already has in her head. I feel like she would've been a Guardian in her story.
I wasn't quite prepared for the story to end with book 2. I could've handled even one more book! I can't talk about the end... So many thoughts about it. You read it, and we'll talk. Deal?
About the Author
Sandra Fernandez Rhoads is the author of Mortal Sight. She is a Cuban-Colombian living in Dallas, Texas with her husband and four children. She has a deep love for the artist community, and is an active part of Art House Dallas and the Fort Worth Writer’s group. She holds an M.A. in English with a focus on John Milton and has an insatiable love for coffee, laughter, and adventure. And dinosaurs.
More from Sandra
What if there was an unseen war affecting our everyday world, but only a few could see the battle? And what if the secrets to this other realm and winning the war were embedded in classical art and literature?
These questions led me to the ideas that formed the Colliding Line duology, and final installment in the series, Realms of Light—the story about a select group of emerging artists called the Awakened that are given unique powers to help combat the forces of evil.
The protagonist, a young girl named Cera Marlowe, quickly took the lead in the first draft of the story. On a quest for her identity, she steps into her destiny by joining a community of unlikely warriors who would need to overcome great odds, learn to work together, and battle their past in order to defeat the enemy.
The story took more than five years to write and the first draft was over 180k words. The use of classical art emerged slowly over that time. But the verses from John Milton’s Paradise Lost fit seamlessly from the start, paralleling the fight for truth, identity, and war in our fallen world.
At its core, the story is about embracing the past to help shape our future. My hope is that readers see classical art and literature in a new way, and find their own creativity as a much-needed gift to the world.
Blog Stops
Rebecca Tews, April 29
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 29
Texas Book-aholic, April 30
Inklings and notions, May 1
Woven by Words, May 1
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 2
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 3
Genesis 5020, May 3
For the Love of Literature, May 4
For Him and My Family, May 5
Wishful Endings, May 6
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 7
Through the Fire Blogs, May 7
deb’s Book Review, May 8
Locks, Hooks and Books, May 9
Blogging With Carol, May 10
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 10
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 11
April Hayman, Author, May 11
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 12
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Sandra is giving away the grand prize package of $40 Christianbook.com gift card, custom Bookmark, custom signed bookplate, custom Realms of Light notebook, and library book pattern book / tablet sleeve!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/10b5d/realms-of-light-celebration-tour-giveaway
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