My
interview with Jasmine Silvera was so much fun. I'd like to think it was because I was starting to get a little more comfortable in my role as podcast host/interviewer, but I think it was much more due to the fact that Jasmine is just incredibly fun to talk to. My friend
Camille Griep put me in touch with Jasmine so we could talk about her debut novel,
Death's Dancer.
Isela Vogel dances on borrowed
time: injury threatens her successful career bringing the favor of the gods to
her patrons. One big job could set her up for life-if it doesn't get her
killed. Tasked with stopping an
impossible killer, the necromancer Azrael must harness the power of a god to
track his prey, and that requires a human dancer. Capricious gods, family secrets, and scheming
necromancers are the least of Isela's worries.
If she and Azrael fail, it will
cost more than her life. If they triumph, she will lose everything she loves.
And then there's the danger of
falling for a Lord of Death.
This isn't your typical fantasy novel. It has elements of a typical fantasy novel, but it turns many of those elements on their heads. It's also intense, funny, and sexy. Isela as a character is strong and stubborn and incredibly likeable. Azrael starts off pretty rough around the edges, not as immediately likeable as Isela, but their relationship makes him more accessible, and therefor more likeable, as the book goes on. Death's Dancer is the first in a series of books set in this world and I am anxious to read the next one and continue with these characters and their lives.
Genres:
Fantasy
Romance
Mystery
Paranormal
What I loved:
Isela and her family. I can't tell you everything, but they aren't typical. And yet they are typical in many ways, including how they treat each other with love, loyalty, and humor.
The secondary characters around Azrael. They are odd, but also intriguing, and I'm interested to learn more as the series goes on.
Basically I loved the relationships. The relationship between Azrael and Isela is central, of course, and it's intense and romantic, but the rest of the characters and their relationships with Isela and Azrael really bring the story to life. They also help to shine light on the types of characters that Isela and Azrael are and become, which is a great technique in story-telling.
Who should read I Know a Secret?
Quotes:
I realized as I began typing this entry that I don't currently have my copy of Death's Dancer with me. I loaned it to my dad and I haven't gotten it back yet. Yep, my dad read, and loved, this book. He's not a huge romance fan, but he loves fantasy, and he specifically asked me when the next one was coming out because he wants to read it.
I did find a couple of quotes from Jasmine's website, though, so I'll include those:
“Who walks into a wolf’s den and comes out alive? Her
father’s old joke came unbidden as she stepped forward. A wolf.”
“Sleep came on him as a thief, consciousness stolen like a
forgotten coin from his pocket.”
Where you can find Jasmine online:
Facebook:
@jassilvera
Twitter:
@jassilvera
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/jassilvera/
Source
Author Bio:
Jasmine Silvera has loved reading
and telling stories about imaginary worlds for as long as she can remember. She
acquired a love of sci-fi, fantasy, and comic books from her dad, who thought
the Hobbit was a perfectly acceptable bedtime story for a ten-year-old. She
filled long hours as a volunteer at the church thrift store by reading boxes of
donated Harlequins.
In college she published short
stories and essays before earning a degree in Broadcast Journalism. In 2012,
Jasmine quit her day job in web production to walk the Camino de Santiago and
focus on her writing.
Inspired by and written during
her two years living in Prague, her first published book, Death’s Dancer, was
released on December 27, 2016 by Kindle Press. It was selected as part of the
Kindle Scout Program.
She lives in the Pacific
Northwest with her husband and their small, opinionated human charge.
To listen to the interview with Jasmine please click
here.
