Current Giveaways

Word Spelunking’s temporary hiatus is now permanent. All requests are closed and there will be no new content. Thank you to everyone I’ve worked with and everyone who has read and supported this blog. Y’all are awesome!!

Aeicha @ Word Spelunking

Monday, February 10, 2014

Titan Magic: Body and Soul by Jodi Lamm {Review, Interview, Giveaway}



I'm thrilled to have Jodi Lamm stopping by today to talk about her latest book, Titan Magic: Body and Soul! You can check out my review of this wonderful book below and enter to win both books in the series...

Titan Magic: Body and Soul
(Titan Magic #2)
by Jodi Lamm
12/17/13

“Don’t fool yourself. Fool everyone else, but never fool yourself.”

When a young golem called Kaspar befriends a beautiful baker and her daughter, he wishes, for the first time in his life, to be more than just a counterfeit, wooden child. But such a simple wish comes at a high price, and Kaspar won’t be the only one to pay. With the few who can stop him distracted by their own dreams, Kaspar is free to set in motion a naive and gruesome plan. He hasn’t gone entirely unnoticed, though. He’s a powerful weapon left alone and ungoverned, and he’s already caught the eye of someone with an even more costly wish.




I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review


This is the third book of Jodi Lamm’s that I’ve read and I’ve come to expect beautiful, powerful, and truly captivating stories from her, and Titan Magic: Body and Soul is no exception! This sequel to the enthralling Titan Magic moved and surprised me with its depth, heart, and writing just as much as its predecessor.


Beginning about a year after the first book, TItan Magic: Body and Soul focuses on Kaspar, the golem who looks like a young boy. Kaspar meets a sweet, pretty little girl and the longing for a friend of his own sets off a chain of emotions within Kaspar that could turn dangerous. Kaspar’s burgeoning chaos affects not only him, but his master, maker, and golem siblings as well, and they all must face a deadly foe.


Titan Magic mesmerized me with its vastly original and fascinating fantasy/supernatural elements, and Jodi Lamm explores these elements even more in-depth in book two. The intense, magical world of golems Lamm has created is darkly enchanting with a macabre kind of whimsy that is eloquently haunting in the best way possible. Lamm never ceases to impress me with how gorgeous and eargasm inducing her writing is! Titan Magic: Body and Soul is full of absolutely breathtaking passages.


Like book one, Titan Magic: Body and Soul is no sweet and simple fairytale or mushy fantasy romance; it is a poignant and profound examination of humanity and the power of love. Teeming with depth and heart, Kaspar and his companions’ story is one that gets under the skin and really left me thoughtful. Lamm’s characters are wonderfully developed and unforgettable in their complexity. I love how each character possesses such darkness and light and is neither “good” nor “bad”, just real.


The completely non-mushy or cliched romantic elements continue to fascinate and frustrate me: fascinate with how intense, electric, and palpable the different romantic relationships feel, and frustrate with how these various relationships turn out….*sigh* I always seem to fall for the doomed ship and OTP.

The story ends in a really beautiful, unexpected way that left me excited for book three!


My Final Thoughts: Like its predecessor, Titan Magic: Body and Soul is full of gorgeous writing, complex characters, and an unforgettable story. This is a truly captivating and special series!


MY RATING


What three words best describe Titan Magic 2: Body and Soul?
Curious, macabre, fairy tale (I think fairy tale totally counts as one word).

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers to give your Titan Magic series a try?
In a late-Victorian society where magic is illegal and demigods are routinely executed, the sheltered, mad daughter of the noble Lavoie family learns that she is neither mad nor human, that she has one chance to win herself an immortal soul, and that winning it will cost her everything she holds dear.

Grab a copy of Titan Magic 2: Body and Soul and answer the following:
favorite chapter?
That's tough, but I'm going to say chapter 26. It was good to finally get to the heart of Marcus, to reveal what's really going on with him and why he's such a mess.

favorite page?
My favorite page will probably change according to my mood, but for now, I'll say 262. It's Kaspar's tipping point—rock bottom, as they say. As awful as it is, I believe this moment will define him in a way he'll never quite shake. It's also an homage to one of my favorite novels.

favorite power/ability possessed by a golem?
Kaspar's super-reading. I would LOVE to have that ability myself.

flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser?
"He crowded her, surrounded her, and pressed his lips to hers with a feverish need he rarely allowed himself to express. It was the fire in him, the consuming appetite that was as much part of him as his own dreams."

In Titan Magic 2: Body and Soul, both old and new characters are explored...do you have an absolute favorite character? What do you love about them?
I wouldn't say I have an "absolute favorite character." The character I'm most fond of tends to shift depending on what scene I'm working on. I will say this book very much belonged to Kaspar and Marcus. Kaspar drove the story, and he and Marcus grew the most as characters.

Like golems, did any of your characters surprise you by taking on a life of their own and becoming something you didn’t expect?
Dante did, but I can't say how without potentially spoiling things.

If you had the power of a Titan, would you create your own golem? If so, what would you make it out of and what would you use it for?
I'd probably make a story-golem like in Stranger Than Fiction, as impractical as that would be. Jas didn't pop entirely out of thin air; I do identify with his childhood loneliness a bit. I could see a young me trying to make a friend with magic instead of social skills, if I had the talent for it.

Is there going to be a third book in the Titan Magic series?! If so, can you give us any hints about what’s to come?
Yes! It has just been outlined. The third book will be utterly unlike the first two, since I'm the sort of person who gets bored reading the same story over and over again. I hope book three will unravel Jas the way book two unravels Marcus, and I hope to give Maddy a chance to really drive her own destiny.

What is the last awesome book you read? Any 2014 book releases you are excited for?
I've been reading A Series of Unfortunate Events, and I'm enjoying them. They're so cleverly narrated. As for books I'm excited for, I spend a lot of time in the library, so they tend to be already released. I recently spotted one called Black Opera that I'm itching to read. It has the coolest cover in the history of covers and a premise I just couldn't say no to. I'm also really excited to finish the Daughter of Smoke and Bone books.

THIS or THAT?
ebook OR print?
Both! Ebooks are convenient, inexpensive, and they don't bother my carpal tunnel syndrome. Print books are gorgeous, nostalgic, and tactilely pleasing. What matters most to me is the story being told.

travel back in time OR travel to the future?
Ooh, I don't know. I would really love to see how we advance (or not), but at the same time, there are some historical people I would love to meet. I guess I'd go back in time because at least I know what I'd be getting.

dance party OR costume party?
Costume party! You can totally dance at a costume party and people will likely join you, but if you wear a costume to a dance party, people will probably just look at you funny.

stuck in a dystopian book OR stuck in a post-apocalyptic book?
I feel like post-apocalyptic is the slightly more positive genre. It's usually about surviving and rebuilding, whereas dystopian is about oppression and, if you're lucky, toppling an entire regime. So I'd pick post-apocalyptic to live in. For reading, I could go either way.

fall for the hero OR fall for the villain?
Since I was a child I've had a soft spot for complex, sympathetic villains. For better or worse, they tend to be the characters I fall for.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by Titan Magic 2: Body and Soul, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?
Dark chocolate with strawberry icing. I'd call it Dark Summer.


Jodi Lamm was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, where she currently lives with The Other Lamm, three furry creatures, a parrot/evil overlord, and a variety of musical instruments. She writes for the love of storytelling. She’s addicted to fantasy, ghost stories, and anything with just the right amount of eerie romance.

Win an ebook copy of both Titan Magic and Titan Magic: Body and Soul!
Jodi Lamm has generously offer e-copies of both books in her series.
DETAILS
-open INT
-there will be one winner
-ends 2/16
-must be 13+ to enter, one free entry per person
-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours
Fill out the Rafflecopter form:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 comments:

Natalie @ Book Lovers Life said...

Book 1 has been on my wishlist for ages!! Both sound awesome.

Unknown said...

It's unusual to find a book that has something new and creative in the paranormal genre. I am impressed with the originality of this series and look forward to reading it.

Mary Preston said...

I have put both books on my wish list - my daughter will love these.