Hello bookdragons!
Raven's Bookish Network proudly presents Luna by Rae Else, the first installment in The Dark Between series, a YA, urban fantasy series! The book will be published on September 5th, 2021, by Anchorite Publishing.
About the book:
Seventeen-year-old Jess has survived an upbringing in care. Diagnosed with rage blackouts, people look at her with pity and fear. The solution? Brutal workouts, Art – oh – and staying the hell away from others. Easily done in backwater Maine.
Yet one night she wakes to find herself by a lake, her clothes covered in blood, with no memory of what happened. Soon the water is aflame and a portal opens. Transported to the Triodia Penitentiary, she discovers she’s a shifter, a type of “para”. She’s also accused of murder and locked up.
Desperate to find a way out, she turns to her fellow inmates for help. Yet as they mount an escape, the enemies circling her increase. Will Jess survive unlocking the dangerous Heights and Depths of the para world and those within herself?
Incredible photos from our Instagram tour! Check out the hosts by clicking their handles.
Day 1
Day 2
Review:
"I really enjoyed this story! I love a good breakout of prison story! It’s unique and has a unique world where paras live in an alternate world from ours that they teleport to. Jess is a tough girl and despite being accused of murder, she’s a very nice person and cares a lot. Rather than let her situation get her down, she’s determined to get out, along with the help of others, and exact vengeance. I also love the side characters. There’s a Wolf shifter, a vampire, a Fae, and a mage. Each added a nice element to the story. I always love a book that involves the side characters and become a true part of the story. There’s quite a bit of suspense, some eeriness, and a hint of romance. And I will say the potential romance going on in the story I’m all for and hope it continues because it’s different and I approve! It was a fantastic mix of different tropes and I’m excited to see how the story continues!"
Day 3
Review:
"If there's anything I love about a story, it's the characters and this story did not only do a great job with our MC, but the side characters as well! It's fast paced and enjoying, definitely keep an eye out for this!"
Day 4
Day 5
Review:
"I really enjoyed this story. The characters are amazing. The twist and turns are great and some were really unexpected. In many fantasy books you get a world building. In this book it was not like that, you transported into this world first I was confused but then it was easy to understand."
Day 6
Moodboard by @thesunbooks
Day 7
Review:
"Loved the world and all the little details that foreshadowed all the possibilities of that ending. It’s a good way of laying the foundations of the series and I really can’t wait how the story builds up from here. A quick but memorable read for sure!"
Day 8
Author Q&A with author Rae Else & @bubbleswrapherbooks
Q: Jess is a strong and admirable character, do you see yourself to her? Is she inspired to an actual human-being?
A: It's lovely to hear that you find Jess admirable. I think, like all authors, there's definitely a little bit of an author put into each and every one of them. So, in a way, yes, there's elements of myself in Jess. I definitely drew on my love of nature and creativity for inspiration in her character. But otherwise she's very much her own person.
Q: Writing a fantasy book is never easy. Creating a new world such as Dark Between is probably difficult. Have you encountered problems while writing Luna?
A: It's definitely difficult at times creating a new world. I think the main difficulty I've encountered is balancing wanting to immerse the reader in the world but not wanting that information to overwhelm them, all the while keeping up the momentum of the story. Luckily, I feel like I've had practice at that with what I learnt from writing my first series, The Arete Trilogy. Otherwise, Ive found that relying on my editor for brutal honesty has been helpful too.
Q: Lately, there are a lot of books being published that characters are supernatural creatures like fae, wolf, witches, sorcerers, vampires and etc. How can you say that your book is different or what it can offer to readers?
A: I think that although Luna and The Dark Between Series as a whole, fits in with the paranormal and fantasy genres, it does offer something unique in that it's themes are strong and pertinent to our times: the environment, our relationship with nature, the greyness between right and wrong.
Q: Luna is a fantasy book. Do you see yourself writing a book of different genre?
A: The fantasy genre is definitely my most favoured category to write in and I see myself for the majority of my writing career continuing in it. I have for some time had the seed of a YA Dystopian story growing and would definitely like to write and publish that some time in the future.
Q: What can we expect from the next installment? How many books are you planning to write for the series?
A: The next instalment is definitely darker in its exploration of the Enodia coven and how the differnt para races function together within the world.
It's also quite a bit more risqué and is New Adult rather than Young Adult.
And, of course, suspenseful mysterious, brooding relationships and action-packed fighting scenes with the cast of characters from Luna, as well as some newbies to love or loathe.
Q: Again, congratulations in advance for the publication. Good luck to your writing career!
A: Many thanks for your support and shout out, John. And hope you enjoy the rest of Luna.
About the author:
Rae Else is an Urban Fantasy author, most at home in the spaces between reality and the imaginary. When in the real world, she resides with her husband in Plymouth. The Arete Trilogy is her Young Adult, Urban Fantasy debut. Her upcoming series, The Dark Between, is a decadently dark YA Fantasy, featuring a whole cast of paras - shifters, vamps, witches, mages, fae ... and lots of soul magic.
Rae studied Classics at university and a lot of her stories draw on mythology and ancient worlds. In her twenties, Rae worked as a primary school teacher and now writes full time. When not reading or writing, Rae loves to scuba dive and sail. She finds the big blue to be like a good book – a portal to a different world.
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