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.

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Read chapter one of Titan Magic: Body and Soul now!

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.

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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.

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Cover Reveal: Titan Magic- Body and Soul by Jodi Lamm

I'm so excited to help reveal the cover of Jodi Lamm's Titan Magic: Body and Soul! I really enjoyed the first book in the series, Titan Magic (check out my review), and cannot wait to read the sequel...

Titan Magic: Body and Soul

(Titan Magic #2)

by Jodi Lamm

12/13/13

"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.

Find the book: Goodreads / Website

This cover was designed by Abigail Larson

Book 1 in the Titan Magic Trilogy

Mute, heartless, and tormented by auditory hallucinations, Madeleine Lavoie never questions why her family has hidden her from the world. But the night her brother casts her out, she learns the mysterious voice she thought existed only in her mind is no delusion, and no matter how hard she tries, she can never disobey it. 

Now Madeleine must find her own voice in a cacophony of powerful tyrants, monsters, and gods. If she fails, she will forfeit her life and the lives of everyone who loves her. But if she succeeds, she may finally gain the ability to love someone in return.

Find Titan Magic: Goodreads / Website / Amazon / B&N

Jodi Lamm

website * goodreads * twitter

Interview and Giveaway- TITAN MAGIC by Jodi Lamm

I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Jodi Lamm's novel TITAN MAGIC- you can read my 4 cupcake review HERE- and I'm so grateful that she took the time to answer a few of my questions! Also, you can enter to win a paperback copy of her book below the interview.

Bio from Jodi Lamm's website.                             Pic from Goodreads.                                                         If you care to know the usual, I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. I currently live in the Sonoran Desert with The Other Lamm, three furry creatures (only one of which is an honorary dragon), and a variety of musical instruments. I write for the love of storytelling. I’m addicted to fantasy, ghost stories, and anything with just the right amount of eerie romance.

Q.   Describe TITAN MAGIC in three words.

Let's see… Maybe intricate, bitter-sweet, and mysterious.

Q.What inspired TITAN MAGIC? Where did the idea come from?

I began writing the story of a mute girl who was lost in the woods as a kind of character-building exercise, but I couldn't stop telling her story—especially after I discovered she was bound to serve a very strange master. Her identity was more something I learned while writing the story than an original intention. When I had to write a research paper on the Prague golem for a class, the idea just screamed at me, like it had always been true, only I hadn't seen it yet. The more I learned about this legendary monster, the more I loved it. And the idea of an artificial, humanoid slave isn't limited to Jewish tradition either, so I had a lot of choice in how I presented mine. I ended up suspended somewhere between Jewish and Gnostic lore.

Q. In TITAN MAGIC, you explore stories and myths surrounding golems. Have you always been a fan of folklore and myths? Do you have a personal favorite?

Absolutely. When I was a girl, I stumbled onto my mother's tattered book of classic fairy tales, and I just inhaled them. They were so different than the cartoons I'd been raised on, so dark and beautiful. I couldn't get enough. Then I discovered Greek mythology, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Japanese, and Native American. It was like a delicious, candied playground, and it fed into my writing enormously. My personal favorite is also Madeleine's favorite: The Juniper Tree. We have that in common, I guess. The Juniper Tree is an absolutely gruesome story, but it's childish and sweet, as well. I love contrast like that.

Q.  Any plans to continue where TITAN MAGIC left off in future books?

Yes. I am currently working on a sequel, and a third book is in the plotting stages. I just couldn't let it go. I wanted so badly to get to know characters like Marcus and Kaspar a little better.

Q. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I've been writing since I could pick up a pen. It was always a bad, bad habit of mine. Recently, I found one of my earliest attempts buried in some old report cards (let's not even go into those). I thought it had been lost forever. I scanned it and put it in the "About the Author" section of my website, so I won't lose it again. It's quite unintentionally funny, if you want to brave the waters and see it.

Q. If you could magically bring one fictional character-from any book, movie, or tv show- to life and spend the day with them, who would it be? Why?

There are so many. But if I could spend the day with him in his own lair, I would love to meet Erik, from Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera. I'm not talking about Webber's anti-hero; I'm talking about the mad genius with a skull's head on his shoulders, who thinks it's a perfectly good idea to win a girl's heart with ventriloquism and card tricks, or if that doesn't work, by torturing her boyfriend and threatening a massacre. I would follow him around with a notepad and write down every word he said… from a safe distance, of course. Fascinating, fascinating character.

Q. What made up or fictional world would you love to visit? What would you do there?

Is it bad if I say Hogwarts? I bet everyone says Hogwarts. But I did recently read Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev, and I have to say, the idea of living in an enchanted theatre where all the characters from every play ever written are alive and bored and looking for trouble… Well, it had me at hello.

Q. Who is your favorite literary villain...who do you love to hate or hate to love?

I don't even have to think about this one. My answer has to be Claude Frollo, from Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Toss out the Disney version of the man for a second, and have a closer look at him. He, all on his own, completely drives the story. He's a villain who wants so badly to be good, he ends up being far worse than even he could imagine. And I have always thought his first confession of love was the most heartbreaking, lyrical, and maddening confession ever written. It's so painful to read because you know it's sincere, but you also know it's going nowhere fast and will more than likely end very, very badly.

Q. What’s the one book you wish you had written?

If I had to pick one, it would be Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Her characters are so enchanting, I couldn't stop thinking about them weeks after I'd closed the book. And it's so easy to get lost in her stories. Every detail is vital. Her world is like a completely new fairy tale. I love it.

Q. What’s the one book you think everybody should read at least once in their life?

Can I pick two? I'm going to pick two. First, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, because it's the most beautiful piece of storytelling I've ever read. It's poetic, exciting, romantic, tragic, sweet, and mysterious, too. I have never read its equal. Second, I would say the complete works of William Shakespeare, and this I think everyone should read as a child. When we're kids, we're not afraid of failure. We're not afraid of our own ignorance, of not understanding words and stories. We just soak up what we can, gloss over what we don't know, and enjoy the inflow of information. It's like learning a second language through total immersion. I honestly believe if we had all fallen in love with Shakespeare when we were children, he would not be intimidating to so many adults.

I want to thank Jodi for this wonderful interview and for the following giveaway :)

Jodi has generously offered one (1) paperback copy of TITAN MAGIC for one of you lucky readers!

This giveaway is open Internationally.

Will run from 12/9 - 12/16 at 11:59 pm

To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below 

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• Must be 13 or older
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Review: TITAN MAGIC (Jodi Lamm)

Be sure to check out my interview with author Jodi Lamm and enter to win a paperback copy of TITAN MAGIC here 

TITLE: Titan Magic                         AUTHOR: Jodi Lamm PUB DATE: 9/30/11                       FORMAT: eBook SOURCE: from author in exhange for honest review

Mute, heartless, and tormented by auditory hallucinations, Madeleine Lavoie never questions why her family has hidden her from the world. But the night her brother casts her out, she learns the mysterious voice she thought existed only in her mind is no delusion, and no matter how hard she tries, she can never disobey it.Now Madeleine must find her own voice in a cacophony of powerful tyrants, monsters, and gods. If she fails, she will forfeit her life and the lives of everyone who loves her. But if she succeeds, she may finally gain the ability to love someone in return

THREE WORDS: Enchanting. Original. Profound

MY REVIEW: Jodi Lamm’s TITAN MAGIC is one of those books that comes along every once in a while and completely surprises me with how deeply and unexpectedly it moves me.  Based on the book’s blurb, I expected a simple, fun fairytale like story; but what I got was a truly spellbinding and meaningful tale and exploration of the human condition.

            MY BRIEF SUMMARY

Madeline “Maddy” Lavoie cannot speak, nor can she remember her life past the last three years. She is plagued by a voice that only she hears and apparently cannot disobey. After three years of being hidden from the world, Maddy’s brother cast her out of the house simply telling her to go find her voice. What Maddy finds is a talking stag, a swindling man for hire with a beautiful heart, truths about who and what she is that forever change her, and a voice she never knew she had.

            STORY

I’m a big fan of stories that take different folklores and myths, and instead of simply retelling those tales with minor variations, they add their own added unique spins, storylines, and characters, creating something new, original, and refreshing. And Jodi Lamm has done just that with TITAN MAGIC. Lamm weaves a captivating and gripping story that blends the old with the new, the familiar with the unexpected, and the dark with the light.

TITAN MAGIC is neither fast paced or slow; it flows nicely. The story begins with mystery and intrigue- Why is Maddy mute? Whose voice does she hear? What happened to her memory?-but Lamm doesn’t drag these questions out, torturing readers till the end. These mysteries are quickly solved, but then new ones are revealed. Lamm does an excellent job of balancing and spacing her story’s mysteries and revelations, ensuring that readers never get bored or frustrated…and I certainly never did!

Without giving anything away, I’ll simply say that I was enchanted by the fantasy elements surrounding Maddy’s existence. There’s an eloquent, yet dark whimsy do these elements that make them both fascinating and fearsome. Lamm’s scope of imagination and creativity in this book is impressive and her writing is lovely and haunting.

As beautiful as the fantasy elements are, the depth and meaning found within this book are breathtaking. Lamm explores so much more than a simple folk story or myth; she also offers a profound look at the human condition-what it means to be human, where our humanity and souls comes from, the duality of man, the power and essence of love. And she does so with an effortless subtlety.

The last portion of the book is very climatic and intense; there’s a great deal of stuff going on toward the ending. I’m a bit conflicted about the ending. Not because it isn’t a satisfying ending that really ties everything together nicely, because it is and it does. I think I was expecting and perhaps even wanting an ending that was a bit messier and less tidy. Also, the way the romantic aspects are left was not what I personally was rooting for. But, the ending does leave plenty of room open for a sequel…a sequel I will definitely be reading!

            CHARACTERS

This is very much a character driven story, and Lamm’s characters are undeniably compelling.

Maddy is such a fascinating character because there is so much mystery and intrigue surrounding her. In the beginning of the book, she’s quite lost, both literally and figuratively, and I really felt like I was experiencing her journey and story with her and not simply through her. Maddy’s insecurities, doubts, longing, and fragile self-awareness made her very relatable to me. This is a protagonist that readers will want to root for and will want to see her journey through till the end.

 There’s an interesting array of important male characters, each offering something significant and different to both Maddy and readers. Jas’ bitter-sweet pain and longing makes him a sympathetic character. Marcus’ shocking actions and confessions make him an impossible to ignore character. And Will *sighs*…With his humor, heart, and loyalty Will is such an easy character to fall in love with.

There’s no clear cut antagonist in TITAN MAGIC. Every character has both light and darkness in them, which drives them all to do both good and bad things, mostly in the name of love.

            ROMANCE

I don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t read this book, so I won’t go into too much detail here. So many of the acts and betrayals committed in TITAN MAGIC are done out of, because of, or for love…mostly romantic love. And the essence and power of love itself plays a very important role.

As for the different romantic relationships featured in TITAN MAGIC, there’s- unrequited love, forbidden love, lost love and first love. Lamm has explored and written all these different kinds of love beautifully and with a heart-aching honesty.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: TITAN MAGIC moved, captivated, and enchanted me with its ability to be both profound and entertaining, dark and hopeful, romantic and fantastical. Jodi Lamm is definitely an author whose work I’ll be looking for in the future. And this is one book you should definitely read!

MY RATING

4/5 CUPCAKES

You can learn more about and connect with Jodi Lamm here:

Website / Goodreads / Twitter 

You can purchase this book here:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Createspace

Now stop by HERE to read my interview with Jodi and enter to win a paperback copy of TITAN MAGIC