Monday, July 21, 2014

Transcender Trilogy by Vicky Savage Blog Tour: Review and Huge Giveaway!

Welcome, everyone, to the Transcender Trilogy blog tour! I'm so thrilled to be able to host this for one of my all time favorite indie authors, Vicky Savage, who not only has written books that I'm in love with, but she's become a dear friend over the past few years. I've been a huge fan of the Transcender Trilogy from the beginning, and I'm stunned that it's finally over! But now it's time to celebrate her tremendous accomplishment and share these books with all of you!

Book Blurb of Transcender: First-Timer: 
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DR94EI

Suddenly plucked from her quiet Connecticut life and dropped into a post-disaster parallel world where most of the earth's population resides in enormous domes, eighteen year old Jaden Beckett lands in the middle of a kidnapping—her own!

Undercover Agent Ralston of the Inter-Universal Guidance Agency helps Jaden escape from her captors and promises to return her home as soon as he can arrange it. But he conceals from her the fact that she is really a Transcender, capable of traveling among alternate worlds at will. While waiting for passage home, Jaden assumes her parallel identity as a princess in the nation of Domerica. She discovers her mother is alive in this world—a miracle she never dreamed possible. But perhaps even more compelling is her blossoming, breathtaking romance with Ryder Blackthorn, her once and future soul mate.
When it comes time for Jaden to leave, she flatly refuses. IUGA claims the welfare of the entire galaxy depends upon her timely return. Jaden contends that, in this case, eternal love trumps destiny. Who will prevail?

Book Blurb of Streaming Stars: 
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AVY3FXY
 
Jaden Beckett makes the journey once again from her home in Connecticut to the nation of Domerica on an alternate earth. The Inter-Universal Guidance Agency has granted her thirty days within which to choose her ultimate destiny. She may remain in Domerica, return to Connecticut, or join the other Transcenders in Arumel.

On her arrival, Jaden finds that all is not perfect in paradise. Her mother, Queen Eleanor, is ill and grows frailer with each passing day. Her scheming uncle has moved into the palace and assumed the role of Lord High Steward of the land. But even more troubling are events that took place in Jaden’s absence which have caused her to question the depth of her fiancĂ©’s love.

All the while, Jaden's friendship with a handsome, young Transcender from Arumel deepens. He teaches her how to use her astonishing gift to travel to exotic parallel worlds and introduces her to others in the Transcender community.

When the time draws near for Jaden’s final decision, her choice is anything but simple.

Book Blurb of Illuminosity: 
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KC7IVPW 

Jaden Beckett has a secret unknown to those in her adopted homeland of Domerica: she is a Transcender, capable of traveling among parallel worlds at will. When the powerful Inter-Universal Guidance Agency's sophisticated computer models predict that Jaden will eventually cause the downfall of that agency, IUGA decides to destroy her first. In order to save herself, her family, and the man she loves, Jaden must fake her own death and leave Domerica for good. The plan seems sound, but on the day of IUGA's attack, things go terribly wrong.

Heartsick and alone, Jaden ventures to Arumel, a progressive nation on an alternate earth, where Transcenders conduct valuable inter-universal research. Just when she thinks she's found a safe, new life, IUGA makes its presence known. This time, Jaden is determined not to be driven away. She will fight to discover her place in the multiverse, the true meaning of destiny, and the keys to the mystery of eternal love. 


About Vicky.

Vicky Savage grew up gazing upon the beauty of the Wasatch Mountain Range right outside her family’s kitchen window. She thought the Rocky Mountains would always own her heart, until she moved to sunny Florida for law school and instantly fell in love with the ocean. Her passion for new adventures and exotic locales led her on a circuitous path to writing science fiction/fantasy about strange new worlds and parallel universes. Although she has lived in seven different states and London, England, the siren call of the ocean always brings her back to her beloved Florida, where she currently lives with her husband, son, and two dogs.

Contact Vicky through her website: https://www.vickysavage.com, follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SavageVicky, and visit her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/vickysavageauthor.


My overall rating for the trilogy: 5 couches 

My review of the trilogy: 

I won't talk about the blurbs since you can see them above, but I wanted to talk about the trilogy as a whole.

I remember reading book one, and I've recently reread it and its sequel, Streaming Stars, to prepare to read Illuminosity, and marveled that both have definitely stood the test of time. Even though I've read hundreds of mostly traditionally published books, Vicky's trilogy still remains a favorite even in comparison, which is hard for a self published book to do in this day and age. 

First, there's something so magical and riveting about the world that Vicky has created. While there may be nothing new about the possibility of alternate universes, Domerica is still one of my favorite worlds to travel to. I love all of Vicky's lush description of the land, the politics, and the intrigue that surrounds this location. 

While none of the books are tiny or by any means short, the pacing is great, and it didn't seem to be as long as the weight of the paperback. I just thoroughly enjoyed myself from start to finish and this was the case with all three books, which is a hard feat for an author-- to stay consistently good from first book to third in a trilogy.

I loved the world building, and in particular, all the descriptions of the palace and how Jaden tries to integrate into the world of a princess. Again, while the idea may not be new, what girl/woman hasn't wanted to play dress up just for fun? I devoured the descriptions of the rooms, dresses, meals, and of course, want a Skorpling of my own.

As for the characters, Jaden is a very likeable, resourceful, and intelligent protagonist. She is a strong character, and goes through a lot of turmoil over three books, but I believe comes out even stronger. I like how we discover the world through her eyes, and experience the other worlds through what she goes through. The other key characters include both of her parents-- I appreciate Savage doesn't fall into the trap of both parents being completely absent, Ralston who may be my favorite character in the whole series, Asher who is a mysterious stranger but also plays in a hint of a love triangle, Ryder who is sexy beyond belief, and several other characters who you'll meet in the last two books, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. :-)

There are some great twists and some of the books end in cliffhangers that you'll need the next book right away to satisfy your craving for MORE!

I just can't say enough about how wonderful these books are, and I hope Vicky Savage continues to write for a long time to come. She not only is a terrific writer who is always looking for ways to improve, but she also is an amazing person, and I've been lucky to develop a friendship with her over the past couple of years. 

Now that I've taken time to be all mushy about Vicky and her great trilogy, please enter the giveaway below! The more you visit the different posts over the week for the blog tour, the more likely you are to win! Plus, all the posts are great, so you won't want to miss out.  

Question for the giveaway: What elements of this book look interesting to you?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

July 21  Ensconced in Lit – review
Crystal in Bookland – guest post
July 22 Pandora's Books - guest post
                Ensconced in Lit – character interview
July 23 YA Book Nerd Reviews YA Book Nerd Reviews- review
                Wonderland of Reading - review
July 24 The Whimsical Mama – guest post
                Fly to Fiction  – Review
July 25 Tea and Fangirling – Review
                A Reading Nurse – guest post
July 26 I Heart YA Fiction – Author Interview

 

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7 comments:

  1. Wow Christina! Thanks don’t seem to be enough. I’m honored to have you and Ensconced in Lit hosting this blog tour. Your review of the Trilogy takes my breath away! From the very first review of yours I ever read, I knew I could trust your judgment in books. That’s why your good opinion means so much to me, as does our cherished friendship and your continuing support! Hope your readers enjoy learning about my books and good luck to everyone in the giveaway!

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  2. Christina, like you, I have thoroughly enjoyed all three books. I am and have been a fan of Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, and would add Vicky Savage to the pantheon.

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  3. Yay first blog tour stop!!! I'm about to start the final book so I can have reviews of them all ready for my stop. I love your trilogy review!

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  4. This book sounds so fun! I love alternate universes/places! I'm glad you loved her descriptions and writing(that makes me more excited to try this series!). Thanks for the review :)

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  5. Honestly, the very first paragraph sounds fascinating....parallel world, domes, and landing in the middle of one's own kidnapping. Wow! Sounds like a great trilogy.

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  6. I haven't gotten to First Timer yet on my TBR, but it's coming up soon. Me and my OCD tendencies :-)

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  7. Jaden wants to visit some amazing places! I am right there, too! Venice! A parallel world where people fly! Awesome! Kat is an amazing artist by the way. These books sound wonderful, and I am looking forward to reading them, win or no!

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