Blog Tour Review + Interview + Giveaway: The Marked Son by Shea Berkley

Today I have the pleasure of sharing with you another great book for lovers of all paranormal/fantasy/magic genres (which sounds just like me!).
Thanks to Entangled Publishing for letting me be part of this blog tour.

The Marked Son

by Shea Berkley
Series: Keepers of Life #1
Release date: 2nd August, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Pages: 334 (paperback copy given for blog tour in exchange of an honest review)

Summary from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Dylan Kennedy always knew something was different about him, but until his mother abandoned him in the middle of Oregon with grandparents he's never met, he had no idea what.When Dylan sees a girl in white in the woods behind his grandparents' farm, he knows he's seen her before...in his dreams. He's felt her fear. Heard her insistence that only he can save her world from an evil lord who uses magic and fear to feed his greed for power.Unable to shake the unearthly pull to Kera, Dylan takes her hand. Either he's completely insane or he's about to have the adventure of his life, because where they're going is full of creatures he's only read about in horror stories. Worse, the human blood in his veins has Dylan marked for death...

Review By Alaiel Kreuz:
Dylan doesn't have an easy life... In fact, his life could be categorized as a roller-coaster of emotions, disappointments and distrust. The main reason for this is because his mom is the kind of woman that falls very easily and quickly in love only to pack their things up and leave town when she breaks up with the guy of the town.
She doesn't think about Dylan at all and it has been this way for the last 17 years.

That's why when she leaves him in the middle of nowhere with grandparents that didn't know he even existed he is not that surprised. Hurt yes, but not surprised.
The only good thing in his life? Since Dylan was a kid he always dreamt with the same girl. In fact they had seen each other grow up and had developed a friendship, and even if he knew deep inside that those dreams were not real they were also one of the things he treasured the most.

But everything changes when, behind his grandparent's house, he sees her. There, standing and practically inviting him into the woods. And after thinking about it he decides to go and help her, because he knows she is in trouble.
And thanks to that decision he finally understands why he always felt like he never belonged: he is only half human and his other half comes from a different dimension. And this land, Teag, lacks a king and a ruthless man named Navar won't stop until he controls everyone and everything.

That's why Kera has called fon Dylan, because he has a destiny to fulfill and a new life to discover with her.

Personal opinion:
From the very beginning I didn't know what to expect with this book. To be honest I'm not very fond of situations where a mom is not very "mother material". But to give him credit, neither is Dylan, so we are in the same page here.
And after reading a little bit we get to understand why Dylan's mom leaves him there.

Gladly for me things developed in a very cool, interesting and intriguing way. First we have Dylan who, thanks to the way he was raised, doesn't usually trust in other people and doesn't want to open up his heart to anybody. And to see this guy development throughout the book was amazing. It was like seeing a normal day reaching a glorious sunset, if you know what I mean.
Dylan soon discovers powers hidden within him and creatures and people that, alongside Kera, become not only friends but also family to him.

And then we have Kera, the girl of his dreams with whom he falls in love. And the feeling is mutual because they are meant to be together. Their love felt always natural, like the way the water follows the riverbed.
Besides, want to know something else? This girl is protective and she may not have Dylan's abilities but she does know how to take care of someone else.

As for the plot all I can say is that Shea Berkley has a natural style of writing and I like it. From the way she captures Dylan's thoughts to the great world building she does... everything was great. Even Navar had a deepness that was enjoyable and was the perfect enemy for Dylan.
And the ending? It doesn't have a cliffhanger for which I'm grateful. The book finished in a nice way letting the right amount of questions with no answer to keep me waiting for the second installment.
Trust me here, I'm already waiting!

Alaiel's Rating:

If you really liked it, you can order it here:

The Interview

Interview with Shea Berkley

 Author of: The Marked Son

Alaiel: Thanks for being here, Shea!
Shea: Thank you for having me here, Alaiel. I’ll try to behave myself, but no promises.

Questions about yourself.-

Alaiel: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Shea: Well, I have brownish-blond hair and dark brown eyes. I’m portable sized, which is a nice way to say I’m on the shorter side. I live where the sun always shines, birds sing and people love to laugh. Okay, maybe not always, but a lot of the time it’s true.

Alaiel: When or how did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
Shea: Well, I sort of never really wanted to be a writer. It just kinda happened. Mainly because I have no other real world skills, and I was dumb enough to take English as my major in college because how hard could it be? I speak the language. Um, yeah, it was hard. Thankfully, once I started to write, I found I really liked it and had a knack for telling stories others wanted to read.

Alaiel: Where is your favorite place to write?
Shea: In bed. I wish I could say outside on a hammock, but my hammock broke. I like to recline because when I need to think I can just close my eyes. And yes, I’m thinking even though I look like I’m asleep. I swear it’s true!

Alaiel: What’s the best advice you would give to a aspiring writer?
Shea: Read. Read everything you can get your hands on. Then write. Every day.

Alaiel: Is there some kind of ritual that you need to do to write? Like listening a special playlist or have your favorite drink with you.
Shea: I play spider solitaire until I win, then I can write. I do like my sweets, and I graze all day long. The one thing I have at my desk or by my bed is a glass of cola.

Alaiel: If you need advice, who do you seek?
Shea: In life, my mom and dad, but I’m gonna guess you mean writing wise, so I’ll say my critique partners. If I’m stuck, they help unstick me usually. If not, then I start bombing my other friends with text messages in hopes they’ll hang out with me. Usually getting away will help me re-energize so I can sit back down and write.

Questions about the book.-

Alaiel: What was your inspiration for this book and its setting?
Shea: Once I started writing Young Adult novels, my children wanted me to write them something. As one of them put it, what’s the point in having a mom who writes if said mom isn’t writing stuff her children want to read? Like a sucker, I fell for that reasoning, but the good thing is, I like the same kind of books my kids like. Once they told me they wanted a story in the male point of view, I wrote The Marked Son. I chose Oregon because I used to live in the Northwest and love the área. It has a mystical feel to it which makes you believe in the imposible.

Alaiel: Did you have to do a little (or a lot) of research?
Shea: Hardly any since I lived up there. Anything I needed to know was more along the lines of weird things, like what kinds of subjects pop up if you google woman in white.

Alaiel: If you could meet one of your characters in person, who would it be and why?
Shea: Lucinda. She’s crazy in an interesting way. The more I write about her the more I want to know about her.

Alaiel: How would you describe Dylan?
Shea: Damaged. He’s been through so much and has to go through so much more before the series is over. I can’t wait to see what he does and how he survives.

Random and quick questions.-

Alaiel: Hardcovers or paperbacks?
Shea: I have to have a preference? Seriously, I’ll read it if it’s hand printed on wide rule note paper, so to be honest, I read an equal amount of hardcovers and paperbacks and electronic books. A gal’s got to be fair.

Alaiel: Snow or sunny days?
Shea: Sunny. I’m a summer girl. I love to wear sundresses and shorts and go barefoot.

Alaiel: M&M or Skitles?
Shea: M&Ms all the way. Skittles are for people who can’t commit to one flavor. They typically have relationship issues. True story.

Alaiel: Cats or dogs?
Shea: Dogs, though I love cats, too. I usually have both. Cats are great because they take care of themselves, very low maintenence. Dogs are great because if I’m feeling bad, my dog always makes me feel better.

Alaiel: Coke or Pepsi?
Shea: Like there is a real choice here? Coca Cola is happiness in a bottle. Why would you not chose happiness?

Alaiel: Do you like cheese? If yes, which ones are your favorites?
Shea: I am a cheese mega fan. I eat it every day. No lie. I have two favorites. One is an Irish cheddar. It has a sweet, nutty flavor that makes amazing grilled cheese sandwiches. The other is Jarlsberg. It has a nice, smooth buttery flavor that’s completely snackable.

Alaiel: Once again, thank you for being here, Shea :]

You can find Shea Berkley here:

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The Giveaway

Since the giveaway is not hosted here I'm going to give you a link. You only need to Like the page and fill out the form. Pretty easy ;)
The prize? A copy of The Marked Son!
So just click HERE and good luck, everybody!