BLOG TOUR! REDEMPTION (Children of the Gods #3) by Jessica Therrien

REDEMPTION (Children of the Gods #3)

Lead Council member, Christoph, is dead by Elyse’s hand, and Descendants have begun to emerge, exposing their secret to the world. Some see this as the prophecy come to fruition, but the prophecy caries a heavy consequence. It was never meant to be as peaceful as most had hoped.

Humans and Descendants struggle to live together in a world that isn’t ready for such a change. America is divided. Those who glorify the supernatural race believe Descendants truly are the gods they claim relation to. Others see them as a threat.

When Elyse gives birth to the next generation oracle, she sees one final vision—war. The destruction of the country’s major cities, and the end of America as we know it.

After her daughter is born, Elyse finds herself without the ability she needs to predict the future. Desperate to save the world from such conflict, she puts her faith in the hope that Descendants are the key to survival. After all, they have the power to supply a broken society with the means to survive.

Only from the ashes can a new world be born.

EXCERPT

OUR SECRET WAS OUT. As I lay awake beside William the night after my escape, it was the first time I allowed that thought to sink in. Of the hundreds of Descendants who sought refuge in these caves months earlier, only my friends and family had waited for me to return. The rest were out there, and the world was watching.

A part of me felt relief. It was out of my hands. Those who’d trusted and followed me were free, and in a differ-ent way, so was I. No more prophecy weighing me down. Still, as the twinkling lights that lit the cave at night dimmed and withdrew into darkness, I couldn’t find peace enough to sleep.  

After all I’d been through, the fighting, the death, the seclusion, I’d survived. We’d won. But I still felt like I’d lost the one thing I’d always counted on—William. I stared through the pitch black to where he slept next to me, warm and real. He was alive. He was mine. For that I was grate-ful, but my heart felt empty. He didn’t remember.

He’d always told me he’d lose me to this war. I never imagined I’d be the one to lose him.

The moment I killed Christoph, the Council shifted generations. Dr. Nickel’s power fell to his daughter, Edith. Now she was the one who could mimic the ability of any Descendant she came into contact with. The cave’s stars belonged to her tonight. At first I was hopeful she could give her brother his memories back, but at her young age, she hadn’t been in contact with many abilities, mind-wipers included.

A piece of me had been convinced I’d get William back, the man I married, the man who loved me before I knew him. Now our love was one-sided.

I stared at him through the darkness. He used to know me intimately. Knew my fears. My secrets. Now all of our wordless moments were lost. I wondered if he’d ever get any of it back, the tangled legs and warm skin of so many nights together.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE (Links available soon)

Elyse’s Story…

OPPRESSION (Book #1)

UPRISING (Book #2)

REDEMPTION (Book #3)

The Children of the Gods Series

The Descendants have waited long enough for freedom…

About The Author

JESSICA THERRIEN spent most of her life in the small town of Chilcoot, California, high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this town of nearly 100 residents, with no streetlights or grocery stores, there was little to do but find ways to be creative. Her mother, the local English teacher, inspired her to do all things artistic, and ultimately instilled in her a love for language. Jessica currently lives in Southern California with her husband and their two children.

You can visit her online at

www.jessicatherrien.com

OUT TODAY! Redemption by Jessica Therrien

Redemption (Children of the Gods #3)

Nobody promised freedom would be peaceful…

AVAILABLE TODAY!

Lead Council member, Christoph, is dead by Elyse’s hand, and Descendants have begun to emerge, exposing their secret to the world. Some see this as the prophecy come to fruition, but the prophecy caries a heavy consequence. It was never meant to be as peaceful as most had hoped.

Humans and Descendants struggle to live together in a world that isn’t ready for such a change. America is divided. Those who glorify the supernatural race believe Descendants truly are the gods they claim relation to. Others see them as a threat.

When Elyse gives birth to the next generation oracle, she sees one final vision—war. The destruction of the country’s major cities, and the end of America as we know it.

After her daughter is born, Elyse finds herself without the ability she needs to predict the future. Desperate to save the world from such conflict, she puts her faith in the hope that Descendants are the key to survival. After all, they have the power to supply a broken society with the means to survive.

Only from the ashes can a new world be born.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Elyse’s Story…

OPPRESSION (Book #1) – ON SALE $0.99

UPRISING (Book #2) – ON SALE $0.99

REDEMPTION (Book #3) – AVAILABLE NOW $2.99

The Children of the Gods Series

The Descendants have waited long enough for freedom…

About The Author

JESSICA THERRIEN spent most of her life in the small town of Chilcoot, California, high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this town of nearly 100 residents, with no streetlights or grocery stores, there was little to do but find ways to be creative. Her mother, the local English teacher, inspired her to do all things artistic, and ultimately instilled in her a love for language. Jessica currently lives in Southern California with her husband and their two children.

You can visit her online at

www.jessicatherrien.com

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COVER REVEAL: Children of the Gods by Jessica Therrien

REDEMPTION (Children of the Gods #3) is ready and waiting! Along with it, Jessica Therrien will be re-releasing the first two books in her series. All of them have wonderful new covers designed by Carrie Butler, and OPPRESSION will even include a bonus chapter. I am bloody excited!! Can't wait for number three. Here is what you need to know:

OPPRESSION

(Children of the Gods #1)

September 2, 2015

There are others like her. Many of them. And they have been waiting for her for a long time.

Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than average people, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's well over eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal.

For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability.

Or so she thinks. 

Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Some are waiting for her to put an end to centuries of traditions that have oppressed their people under the guise of safeguarding them. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning-and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules.

UPRISING

(Children of the Gods #2)

October 2, 2015

The Descendants have waited long enough for freedom.

Elyse has done everything she can to protect her friends from The Council's reach. As long as they believe she's dead, she has time to rest and train for war. And war is inevitable. 

When Kara arrives with the news that Anna and Chloe have been captured, Elyse is faced with the realization that no one is safe until The Council is stopped and Christoph is destroyed. She doesn't need a prophecy to tell her to lead an army. Christoph has done the one thing that ensures she'll fight to the death. He's threatened the people she loves. 

It will take more than the words of an oracle to help them fight against the most powerful Descendant alive. To break The Council's oppression and rise up against a plot so many years in the making, Elyse will need to get dangerously close to her enemy. So close, in fact, she may not survive.

REDEMPTION

(Children of the Gods #3)

November 2, 2015

Nobody promised freedom would be peaceful.

Lead Council member, Christoph, is dead by Elyse’s hand, and Descendants have begun to emerge, exposing their secret to the world. Some see this as the prophecy come to fruition, but the prophecy caries a heavy consequence. It was never meant to be as peaceful as most had hoped.

Humans and Descendants struggle to live together in a world that isn’t ready for such a change. America is divided. Those who glorify the supernatural race believe Descendants truly are the gods they claim relation to. Others see them as a threat.

When Elyse gives birth to the next generation oracle, she sees one final vision—war. The destruction of the country’s major cities, and the end of America as we know it.

After her daughter is born, Elyse finds herself without the ability she needs to predict the future. Desperate to save the world from such conflict, she puts her faith in the hope that Descendants are the key to survival. After all, they have the power to supply a broken society with the means to survive.

Only from the ashes can a new world be born.

Don't forget to steal one or all of the countdown widgets below! Just click "embed" and copy the code for your own website or blog :)

REVIEW: Uprising by Jessica Therrien

Pub. Date: May 28th 2013
Publisher: ZOVA
Pages: 386
Readership: Young adult
Genres: fantasy, mythology

Elyse has done everything she can to protect her friends from The Council's reach. As long as they believe she's dead, she has time to rest and train for war. And war is inevitable.  

When Kara arrives with the news that Anna and Chloe have been captured, Elyse is faced with the realization that no one is safe until The Council is stopped and Christoph is destroyed. She doesn't need a prophecy to tell her to lead an army. Christoph has done the one thing that ensures she'll fight to the death. He's threatened the people she loves.  

It will take more than the words of an oracle to help them fight against the most powerful Descendant alive. To break The Council's oppression and rise up against a plot so many years in the making, Elyse will need to get dangerously close to her enemy. So close, in fact, she may not survive.

Woo!! Book two! I was so excited for book two since I loved Oppression. Uprising was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint me.

I loved seeing the growth of Elyse over the two books. In book one she was shy, if not a little scared of the world. She was reserved, she kept to herself and kept people at arms length except Anna and Chloe. But over the course of events in the two books, Elyse grows into such a strong, pragmatic, leader who doesn't crack under the pressure of the Descendants or the prophecy. If anything, it only gives her more conviction and strength.

Uprising is action packed. From learning more about Christoph and how creepy and evil he is, to gathering allies to legitimate battles, there is no shortage of things happening. Jessica threads it all together wonderfully without missing a beat. There are twists, turns, lots of death (it is war, after all) and tears. I was a little worried about a particular plot point and how it was going to turn out but I worried for naught; it fit into everything wonderfully and the story would have been off without it.

The mythology throughout the book was also phenomenal. I loved learning about all the different abilities that the Descendants we were introduced to had. There was such a variety of them that I have to applaud Jessica for her creativity.

Overall, I really enjoyed Uprising. It didn't suffer from the sophomore book slump that some do. It was well paced, action packed and very enjoyable. Definitely pick up Oppression if you haven't already started the series and then pick up Uprising right after!!

★★★★ 

I REALLY LIKED IT 

*Thank you to Jessica Therrien for providing a copy for review!!

PURCHASE 

(amazon) (amazon kindle - only .99 cents!!) (the book depository)

BLOG TOUR - GUEST POST + GIVEAWAY!: Uprising by Jessica Therrien

Title: Uprising (Children of the Gods #2) 

Publisher: ZOVA Books 

Release Date: May 28, 2013 

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages: 384

Jessica Therrien follows up her bestselling novel OPPRESSION with UPRISING, the second book in the Children of the Gods series.  

OPPRESSION, translated and sold around the world, was one of the best selling YA novels of 2012. UPRISING continues the story of Elyse, William and the Descendants. 

Elyse has been in hiding for most of her life. Only now she’s hiding with William, and she knows who she’s hiding from. The Council wants a child Elyse and William have yet to conceive, a child who will be the next oracle, and who will provide the final piece to a plan Christoph has been organizing for years. Charged with leading the rebellion against Christoph and his Council, Elyse feels well out of her depth. But she has good friends and strong allies who are willing to fight with her to the end, regardless of how far they have to go, and how many lives will be lost in the process. They have one goal: to live freely and openly with the rest of humanity, out from under The Council’s oppressive rule. The stakes could not be higher for Elyse and the Descendants longing for freedom. They'll have to learn to fight if they want to stand up against The Council, and to find allies in a world ruled by their enemies. The hardest part of waging a war is knowing who to trust. Elyse knows their uprising will change the world. She doesn’t realize it will change her, too.

FIND THE BOOK

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OPPRESSION (Children of the Gods #1)

(amazon) (b&n) (goodreads) (facebook)

First off, thanks for having me over, Rebecca! I’ve been really looking forward to this post. Not only do I love sharing my music with other people, but I’m always looking for new writing songs. I’m hoping some of your blog visitors will share some of their favorites as well. 

Some writers need coffee. Some need a routine. Some like the bookstore or their favorite café. Me? I’m all about the music…

Here is my Uprising (Children of the Gods #2) playlist: 

Pull My Heart Away – Jack Peñate 

Titanium – David Guetta (Feat. Sia) 

Cosmic Love – Florence + The Machine 

Bloodstream – Stateless 

Crosses – Jośe González 

Skinny Love – Bon Iver 

I Go To Sleep – Sia 

Get Higher – Paper Tongues 

Wide Awake – Katy Perry 

Sweet Disposition – Temper Trap 

Almost Everything – Wakey! Wakey!

What are you listening to these days?

Well me personally, right now I can't get enough of Paramore and Fall Out Boy. They're all I've been listening to for months!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessica Therrien is the author of the young adult paranormal fiction series Children of the Gods. Book

one in the series, Oppression, was published by ZOVA Books in February of 2012 and became a Barnes & Noble best-seller shortly after its release. The second book in the series, Uprising, will be available in May of 2013.

Aside from her Children of the Gods series, Jessica’s work can also be found in a published collection of flash fiction stories called Campaigner Challenges 2011. 

Out of over 350 submissions her story, The Soulless, won first place for people’s choice and fourth place in the judging round of Rachael Harrie’s Writing Campaign Challenge. Her story, Saved, is also available as part of the anthology. 

Jessica currently lives in Chula Vista with her husband and is working on book three in her Children of the Gods series. (goodreads) (twitter) (website) (facebook)

Jessica was also lovely enough to offer up a signed copy of Uprising and some bookmarks for giveaway!!

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BOOK LAUNCH! Uprising by Jessica Therrien

UPRISING (Children of the Gods #2) by Jessica Therrien 

Jessica Therrien follows up her bestselling novel OPPRESSION with UPRISING, the second book in the Children of the Gods series.  

OPPRESSION, translated and sold around the world, was one of the best selling YA novels of 2012. UPRISING continues the story of Elyse, William and the Descendants.  

Elyse has been in hiding for most of her life. Only now she’s hiding with William, and she knows who she’s hiding from. The Council wants a child Elyse and William have yet to conceive, a child who will be the next oracle, and who will provide the final piece to a plan Christoph has been organizing for years. Charged with leading the rebellion against Christoph and his Council, Elyse feels well out of her depth. But she has good friends and strong allies who are willing to fight with her to the end, regardless of how far they have to go, and how many lives will be lost in the process. They have one goal: to live freely and openly with the rest of humanity, out from under The Council’s oppressive rule. The stakes could not be higher for Elyse and the Descendants longing for freedom. They'll have to learn to fight if they want to stand up against The Council, and to find allies in a world ruled by their enemies. The hardest part of waging a war is knowing who to trust. Elyse knows their uprising will change the world. She doesn’t realize it will change her, too. (goodreads) (facebook)

BUY THE BOOKS!

OPPRESSION (Children of the Gods #1)

(amazon) (amazon kindle) (b&n) (book depo)

UPRISING (Children of the Gods #2)

(amazon) (amazon kindle only $0.99!) (b&n) (book depo)

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Oppression was one of my favorite reads of 2012 and I've been eagerly awaiting the sequel since. It's finally here!

Jessica has asked that those of us participating in the launch to write up a post about our favourite supernatural power or what it would be like if a supernatural race was exposed to human society. I'm going to do both but I'll keep it short and sweet.

My favorite supernatural would be the power to wield fire. Think of Pyro from X-Men. I've always had a fascination with fire. I think it's just totally badass if you were able to wield it! I would love to be able to just create a fireball out of thin air in my palm and send it across a room. Maybe even if those that can work fire were immune to it, sort of like Daenerys Targaryen. Fire cannot kill a dragon, after all!

I think that if a supernatural race were exposed to human society it would cause chaos. Personally, I would LOVE it but I am only one person. I don't think I would be alone in that but as a whole, people are afraid of what they don't understand. People fear what is different from them. History proves that humans are even afraid of our own. I think if a supernatural race were to be exposed, it would cause a war. And one that we might not be able to win. It would not be a good thing.

(But I would still totally want to see a supernatural race be exposed.)

ABOUT JESSICA

Jessica Therrien is the author of the young adult paranormal fiction series Children of the Gods. Book one in the series, Oppression, was published by ZOVA Books in February of 2012 and became a Barnes & Noble bestseller shortly after its release. The second book in the series, Uprising, will be available in May of 2013.

Aside from her Children of the Gods series, Jessica’s work can also be found in a published collection of flash fiction stories called Campaigner Challenges 2011. Out of over 350 submissions her story, The Soulless, won first place for people’s choice and fourth place in the judging round of Rachael Harrie’s Writing Campaign Challenge. Her story, Saved, is also available as part of the anthology.

Jessica currently lives in Chula Vista with her husband and is working on book three in her Children of the Gods series.

(website) (facebook) (twitter) (goodreads)

Review&Tour Stop: Oppression by Jessica Therrien

Pub. Date: February 28th 2012
Publisher: ZOVA
Pages: 346
Readership: Young adult
Genres: fantasy, greek mythology
Source: Jessica Therrien!
Rating: ★★★★.5

Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than the average person, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's closer to eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Among so many of her kind, she should not be very remarkable--except for the prophecy. Some believe she will put an end to traditions, safeguarded by violence, which have oppressed her people for centuries. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning--and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules. 

I first stumbled upon Oppression on Goodreads and I thought hallelujah! More Greek mythology on the YA scene! I've had an infatuation with it since I was a kid. I bought all the books (well ok, borrowed from the library) on the Gods and Goddesses that I could find. Remember those kids books? The ones with the big, pretty pictures and blurbs of text? I loved learning about the different Gods and Goddesses and what they did. Artemis and Nyx were my favorites. I knew I had to get my hands on this book.

Immediately, I connected with Elyse. Sometimes I had to go girl, are you me? I've always felt a like a loner, an outsider, and yeah I had my first kiss pretty late down the line too. Elyse led a sheltered life, she only had one friend growing up but she's a feisty one. She has spunk coming out of her pores. She stands up for what she believes in. She's my kind of girl. Then there's William. W o w. The boy is adorable, first of all. We all need a guy like William. He's kind and he's caring. He's the guy every girl deserves to have. He loves Elyse so much all he wants to do is protect her. While Elyse fell for William rather fast, and things became serious fast too, I think it fit. I'm a believer in love at first sight and William knew who she was long ago. He was waiting for her and I think Elyse connected with that. Their relationship took off from there. It was fate. Literally! He's a good guy with a good heart. Dang it I want my own William!

And what a great supporting cast! I felt like I was hanging out with people I knew while I was reading their shenanigans. They bickered and they fought but they made up only to bicker again. They're a very endearing bunch. Then there's Anna, who I was rooting for the whole way through. My heart broken when we found out... something (no spoilers!) so I'm glad of the outcome.

Then there's the rich mythology Therrien created. The world of Oppression is phenomenal. There's the slow aging, the fact that the Gods and Goddesses weren't really Gods or Goddesses at all, but "Descendants". Each has powers that they get from their bloodlines. For example, if someone is the descendant of Aphrodite, they have the power of persuasion; to make someone do anything they want. Jump off a bridge, fall in love with them, shoot someone in the face. I wish there had been more powers and bloodlines to learn about but I'm sure they're coming in book two. Honestly, I wish I was a Descendant. How cool it would be, right?

Oppression is the perfect blend of action, romance, fate, and general awesomeness. Everyone should pick up a copy! Links below. (The e-copy is only 99cents!)

BUY THE BOOK: / (kindle)
FIND JESSICA: her blog! / twitter!