Monday, April 2, 2012

Lacrimosa Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway

Interview with author Christine Fonseca:

Q: What gave you the idea for Lacrimosa?
A: LACRIMOSA started off as a cross between Romeo and Juliet and the mythology of the Watchers. As is usual with me, the idea came while I was in the middle of writing a different story during NaNoWriMo in 2009.

Q Have you always know you wanted to be a writer?
A: I can't really say that I've always known I was a writer, but I can say that writing stories has been part of my life since kindergarten. I think I actually decided to write with the intent of publication in the last 4 years.

Q: How different was it writing a novella from writing a full novel?
A: It is so much easier for me to write a novel than it is a novella. The longer form of a novel gives me more opportunities for world building, character development, and a richer plot. In the novella, everything is succinct. My language and plot has to be tighter - less words to play around with ;)

Q: How long did it take from you first draft of Lacrimosa to publication?
A: LACRIMOSA went through five complete rewrites since the original draft - changing everything from the POV to tense to structure. In the end, it took over 2 years to get from draft to finished product.

Q: Lacrimosa is a story of forbidden love that transcends time, what is your favorite love story that spans time?
A: I am a die-hard romantic at heart and love epic love stories like Romero and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Helen of Troy and Paris, etc.

Q:Are there any plans for a sequel?
A: Although LACRIMOSA was originally written as a stand alone, it was sold as a series. Book 2, LIBERA ME, will be coming out in September (A little earlier than expected) and will give readers more of Aydan and Nesy, as well as some new characters and HUGE twists!

Synopsis:
It’s been three thousand years since the fall of Azzaziel and the rebirth of evil; three thousand years since the Sentinal Order, an elite group of warrior angels, returned to Celestium. Their job—rid Earth of the dark creatures, the UnHoly. And with luck, end Azza’s rule.

As if casting out demons isn’t hard enough, five-hundred-year-old Nesy has to masquerade as a teenage girl to do it. Nesy is the best of the Sentinals. She never makes mistakes, never hesitates, never gets emotionally involved. Until she meets Aydan.

He is evil incarnate; a fallen angel that feeds off the souls of others. Everything Nesy is supposed to hate. But she can’t, because he’s also the love of her former life as a human girl—a life that ended too soon, tying her to emotions she was never supposed to feel.

Now Nesy must choose between doing her duty—damning Aydan to the fiery depths of hell—or saving him, and condemning herself. And her choice may cost her, and Celestium, far more than anyone realizes.

How much will she sacrifice for love?

Review:

Nessy is a Sentinel, an Angel tasked with the job of protecting Heaven and dispatching the Unholy. She has been the best at her job since her training began 500 years ago following her human death. She was the best until she meets Ayden the worst of the Unholy a Fallen Angel who feeds off human souls. The problem is Ayden is really the love of her human life and she can’t seem to get over her love for him to complete her job.

Lacrimosa is above all a love story between two people that spans time, propriety, custom, and defies the odds. I found myself constantly rooting for Ayden and Nessy even though their love seemed so unlikely to have a happy ending. One of the reasons I was really able to connect with each of the characters is because the perspective alternated between Nessy and Ayden. You could really understand the past love between these two characters and how much each of them still cared about each other in the present day.

While the love story did dominate the storyline there was still a very prominent part of the book that dealt with the battle between Heaven and Hell which is still raging. I really liked the character of Azzaziel, yes he was Satan, and evil incarnate but he was everything I expected him to be and I liked that. He wasn’t a wimp or upset about his choices, as I have seen portrayed in other YA novels. Azzaziel was strong, domineering, and extra evil. I loved every second of it! He was a bad guy I could get behind.

Overall I enjoyed Lacrimosa, and am so excited to be a part of this blog tour! I am now eagerly awaiting the sequel Libera Me which is coming out in November 2012!


a Rafflecopter giveaway




1 comment: