Spotlight Saturday: "The Gilded Series" by Christina Farley

Genre: Young Adult,  Fairy Tales, Asian Folklore & Mythology.

"Gilded" (Book 1)- Click Here

"Silvern" (Book 2)- Click Here

"Brazen" (Book 3)- Click Here

by Christina Farley

Checkout the official series website for in depth information: Click Here

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My Thoughts: Korean Mythology & A Great Heroine!

          This series truly amazed me when I read it the first time and when I re-read it the second and third time. When I first chose “Gilded” from the Kindle First Prime options I was a little skeptically when I began reading it, because a lot of YA books either really impress me or fail too. However, the first book impressed the heck out of me leaving me stunned by how much I truly enjoyed the story, and subsequently the whole series, to the point I’ve shared it with several friends. This series not only introduces a reader to a new culture but a mythology that hasn’t been written before in such a vivid and exciting way.

          The protagonist is a sixteen year old girl named Jae Hwa who moves from America to South Korea. Adjusting to life from L.A. to Seoul is hard for anyone but for a teen it’s almost impossible. Luckily Jae Hwa finds a best friend named, Michelle, and that friendship brings herself a sense of normal, especially when strange things begin to happen around her. Through a series of events Jae Hwa learns that she comes from a family where for centuries the eldest daughter is stolen by the demi-god, Haemosu.  To stop the curse from taking her as it did her ancestors, Jae Hwa uses her skills as a black belt and archery to defend herself.  She also gains the help of her grandfather and boyfriend Marc along the way, together they learn more about the Korean’s history and gods as they try to protect the world and Jae Hwa. The question in the end is how far will Jae Hwa go to save those she loves?

          Overall, I loved every single book in this series. From book one I was hooked and anxiously awaited the next books. My favorite aspect of this series is the fact it’s all about Korean culture and mythology. I generally love Egyptian, Greek and Roman mythology, so reading this series really opened me up to a new subject matter. The way author, Christina Farley, wrote the each novel with the Korean language infused and imagery highlighted helped me feel like I was right there with Jae Hwa as she fought her demons. Jae Hwa is an amazing heroine who isn't perfect which makes her perfect, she's a teen trying to do right while juggling life and death with family and friends. Oh and Marc with Jae Hwa is just too sweet but won't spoil much their cute relationship except that it develops wonderfully. This series can seem like another big name series  but when you have a girl at the center of the plot it's an entire new level of drama and the settings is unique along with a new language. So if you like young adult books focusing on a strong female lead who fights for her family and friends against huge odds while learning about a new culture, this series will be worth a read.

Now be forewarned listed below are each books descriptions none are too revealing BUT still read at your own risk. I dare ya!  

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"GILDED" (Book 1)

Price:  $1.99 (at time of post) **$ALE PRICE**
Published Date & Page Count: March 1, 2014 . pages 352.

Book Link: Click Here

Listed Rating:  . 2

Price I Paid: Zip, Due to Amazon Kindle First Prime Subscription.

My Rating: 

Description:
Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting into a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she's next. 

But that’s not Jae’s only problem. 

 There's also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae's heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae's been wrong about a lot of things: her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she's always been looking for.
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"SILVERN" (Book 2)

 

Price:  $1.99 (at time of post) **$ALE PRICE**
Published Date & Page Count: September 23, 2014. pages 377.

Book Link: Click Here

Listed Rating:  . 3

Price I Paid: **I received a free copy in return for an honest review, but I later bought it as well**

My Rating: 

Description:
Jae Hwa Lee is ready to forget about immortals and move on with her life. Until the god of darkness, Kud, sends an assassin to kill her. She escapes with the knowledge that Kud is seeking the lost White Tiger Orb, and joins the Guardians of Shinshi to seek out the orb before Kud can find it. But Kud is a stronger and more devious god than Jae ever imagined. Jae is soon painfully reminded that by making an enemy of Kud, she has placed her closest friends in danger, and must decide how much she can bear to sacrifice to defeat one of the most powerful immortals in all of Korea.
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"BRAZEN" (Book 3)

Price: $1.99 (at time of post) **$ALE PRICE**
Published Date & Page Count: September 29, 2015. pages 352.

Book Link: Click Here

Listed Rating:  . 6

Price I Paid: **I received a free copy in return for an honest review, but I later bought it as well**

My Rating: 

Description:
Jae Hwa Lee spent her sixteenth year in Seoul, trying to destroy the evil immortals who had been torturing her family for centuries. The last thing she expected was to be forced to become their assassin. Trapped in the darkest part of the Spirit World as a servant to the Korean god Kud, fighting to keep her humanity, and unable to contact her loved ones, Jae Hwa is slowly losing hope. Kud, god of darkness, will do anything to keep her as a pawn in his quest for power over all of Korea, her entire family thinks she’s dead, and Jae’s true love, Marc, believes she is lost to him forever. 

 When Kud sends Jae to find and steal the powerful Black Turtle orb, Jae sees an opportunity to break free and defeat Kud once and for all…but first she needs to regain Marc’s trust and work with him to vanquish the darkness that threatens to overwhelm Korea. There’s much to lose as Jae struggles to save the land she’s come to call home.

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About the Author:

Author Links : Website, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, Goodreads, Instagram

CHRISTINA FARLEY is the author of the Gilded series, a YA contemporary fantasy series set in Korea. GILDED was nominated for Korea's 2014 Morning Calm, Ohio's 2015 Buckeye award, and the Tome’s It List. As a child, she loved to explore, which later inspired her to jump on a plane and travel the world. Christina's adventures sparked her to write stories, infusing the real world with fantasy. Currently she writes from home in Clermont, FL with her husband and two sons—that is until the travel itch whisks her off to a new unknown.

Hey, NEW BOOK OUT!!- Brazen (The Gilded Series Book 3) by Christina Farley

 !! NEW RELEASE !! 

by Christina Farley

Author Links:Website, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, Goodreads, Instagram

Book 3, the Final novel in the Gilded Series

"BRAZEN" 

Genre: Young Adult, Asian Folklore and Mythology. 352 pages.

Price: $4.99 ebook (at time of post)

Book Link: Click Here

*Book Synopsis*

Jae Hwa Lee spent her sixteenth year in Seoul, trying to destroy the evil immortals who had been torturing her family for centuries. The last thing she expected was to be forced to become their assassin. Trapped in the darkest part of the Spirit World as a servant to the Korean god Kud, fighting to keep her humanity, and unable to contact her loved ones, Jae Hwa is slowly losing hope. Kud, god of darkness, will do anything to keep her as a pawn in his quest for power over all of Korea, her entire family thinks she’s dead, and Jae’s true love, Marc, believes she is lost to him forever. 

When Kud sends Jae to find and steal the powerful Black Turtle orb, Jae sees an opportunity to break free and defeat Kud once and for all…but first she needs to regain Marc’s trust and work with him to vanquish the darkness that threatens to overwhelm Korea. There’s much to lose as Jae struggles to save the land she’s come to call home.

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Don't Forget to checkout the Blog Tour Post to begin the massive Rafflecopter Giveaway: Click Here

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Hey, It's A Blog Tour for "Brazen" (Gilded Book 3) by Christina Farley

by Christina Farley

The 3rd and FINAL book in the Gilded Series

Genre: Young Adult, Asian Folklore and Mythology.

Price: $4.99 ebook (at time of post)

Book Links: Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, Indie.

**To learn more about this series, visit the Gilded Series website. 
Watch GILDED's book trailer: Click Here!**

Book Synopsis:

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My Thoughts:  Fighting For Life Against All Odds

      This is the end to a great series and what an epic end it is! So if you haven't read Gilded or Silvern go and read them first before diving into this terrific book or you'll be lost. The action and adventure in this book continued to become crazier from the last book as Jae Hwa ventured into new lands all to destroy Kud. Sacrifice no matter the cost is a tricky thing and seeing how much the cost for Jae Hwa is really worth makes this book suspenseful to the very end.
      Having signed her allegiance and life to the evil dark god Kud, Jae Hwa has only one mission find a way to destroy him. Jae Hwa knows that if she has any chance to be free of her contract she must find the last orb and return it to the heavenly chest before Kud can use it to destroy not only Korea but the world and all whom she loves. The only problem is her contract marks her as Kud's and has an effect on her in a way she didn't expect when she signed it to save Marc's life. Now she has to push even harder to keep her humanity and sense of right while residing in the Kud's world of darkness. Jae Hwa is faced with the hard truth that her choices may have isolated her and that she may no longer have allies, since the guardians of Korea now hold her as an enemy being marked as a slave of Kud. The only people she hopes will listen to her true purpose and mission is Marc and her grandfather, but doubt plagues even Jae Hwa when death and destruction always follow her. In the end Jae Hwa knows she will have to fight for more than just her freedom and it may come at the cost of her life or those dear to her. 
      Overall, Loved it! Christina Farley kept me turning page after page . . . again. All I kept thinking was poor Jae Hwa, last book was bad enough and this story seemed like she wasn't going to catch a break either, but just when it was darkest there would be a moment of light, or hope shinning through. Jae Hwa fought hard even after many things were against her including her allies; making her an admirable young woman. Oh and I loved how Jae Hwa traveled to China in this story, don't get me wrong I love the fact the book is about Korean Mythology and Korea, but taking the story to China was a great twist which added more imagery and suspense. Now I must say I only wished the ending had be prolonged a little bit because it felt very abrupt after all that just occurred and then all of sudden it was "THE END", I didn't realize that until I flipped to the next page and found the glossary signaling the book and subsequently the series was over. But really I can't be too upset because this book wrapped up the series in a great way covering everything and I can't help but be saddened we won't have more Jae Hwa and Marc, they were just too cute. So if you are into mythology and love action and adventure Y.A. books this is a great book series to get into and this book is a great conclusion. 

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The Giveaway:

Rafflecopter Giveaway: Click Here

To celebrate the release of BRAZEN, 
Christina is giving away a Kindle Fire (US only)
and a $50 Amazon gift card (international).

The Letter for this stop is . . .

Collect all the letters from the blog tour to spell out the secret message to earn more points!

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Now Available ....

Gilded (Book #1)- Click Here

**My Blog Post: Click Here**
Price: $1.99 (at time of post)

Silvern (Book #2)- Click Here
**My Amazon Review: Click Here**
Price: $1.99 (at time of post)
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About the Author:

Author Links Here:

Website, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook,

 Tumblr, Goodreads, Instagram

CHRISTINA FARLEY is the author of the Gilded series, a YA contemporary fantasy series set in Korea. GILDED was nominated for Korea's 2014 Morning Calm, Ohio's 2015 Buckeye award, and the Tome’s It List. As a child, she loved to explore, which later inspired her to jump on a plane and travel the world. Christina's adventures sparked her to write stories, infusing the real world with fantasy. Currently she writes from home in Clermont, FL with her husband and two sons—that is until the travel itch whisks her off to a new unknown.

"Friday Favs": Gilded (The Gilded Series Book 1) by Christina Farley

Genre: Young Adult, Asian Mythology, Folklore, Fairy Tales, SciFi. 352 pages.

Price: $4.99 ebook (at time of post)

Publisher & Date: Skyscape. March 1, 2014

Book Link: Click Here

Listed Rating:  . 2 

Price I Paid: Zip, Due to Amazon First Prime Subscription.

My Rating:  

My Thoughts: Amazing Beginning to A New Series!

       This book truly amazed me when I first read it and when I re-read it. I was a little skeptically going into reading this book based on the product description, because a lot of YA books either really impress me or just flop. However, this book impressed the heck out of me leaving me stunned by how much I truly enjoyed the story and I'm looking forward to the whole series. My biggest love for the book is that this author introduces a new world of mythology and culture from Korea. Now I read and follow a very popular YA series that pulls from Greek and Roman mythology (won't name names since I'm reviewing this book not those books here), and though the two seemed similar they are different in so many aspects. In fact they can't be compared at all really since the only thing they really have in common is the impact they will have on their readers in educating them on other cultures, people, history, and mythology, which I think are great topics any age should read about not just kids or teens.
       The imagery the author provided in the book made the scenes in the story, let alone the action scenes, read so life like. The author you can tell clearly loves Korea and definitely studied up on tae kwon do if not actually knows some, or maybe just watched a lot a fighting movies, either way the fighting scenes were really engaging without being to unbelievable and farfetched (its fiction but not fantasy). The flow of the plot was wonderfully crafted, the story made sense and I who normally pick out how each scene will end was still left wondering how the ending would play out, making me happily surprised since not many books are original but this story was definitely one of a kind. The use of the Korean langue did make it hard to read the book at first, but after a while I got used to it and there is a glossary in the back that helps too. (Unless you're a nerd like me and feel inclined to look up everything so you not only have a definition but a visual picture to understand it too.)
       Also I should note the author does a great job is discussing or explaining certain terms without actually breaking from the story. Introducing a new language to a readership who won't be familiar to the language is tricky no matter if the language is foreign or made up. Languages are just hard to write with, so huge applause for Farley writing this book with actual Korean words being used and applied in a wonderful way.
       Now the characters in this book were very likeable and relatable on some levels. I mean for example the main character Jae Hwa lost her mom, moved across the ocean to a new country, new school, plays a sport (grant it the sport is tae kwon do), has workaholic Father who barely notices she is there or listens to her, hard to please grandparent, boy troubles, crazy cool best friend she has to try and socialize with, heavy school work/pressure to succeed in life, and then there's the 1000 year issue of the curse she has to fight against or she'll be taken just like every other first born daughter before her by Haemosu, the villain of the story. Now the last issue is all Jae Hwa's but the other situations can be picked up on by readers as relatable on some level, especially if Amazon is posting this book as 7-10th grade reading. Two notable highlights for this book in the relationship department are between Jae Hwa & Marc and the relationship between Jae Hwa and Michelle. The relationship between Jae Hwa and Marc is sweet and grows in a healthy way no love triangles here and not too much drama. So happy a YA book is out with a good main character relationship, some of the recent popular YA book series seem to involve love triangles or unhealthy drama filled relationships that make me more upset then happy with their relationships. Luckily this book kept the relationship in its place as a subplot so it develops but doesn't overwhelm the story keeping the book in a good action packed balance. Then there's the relationship between Jae Hwa and Michelle it's a friendship that must be mentioned because I think too often writers leave out that girls need a best friend not just their boyfriend and Michelle is that friend for Jae Hwa. Specifically since Jae Hwa just wants to seek some sort of a normal existence when her world opens up into more crazy mystically reality and Michelle tethers her to that chance of a sense of normal.
        Overall, I sincerely loved and enjoyed the story and definitely recommend this book. In fact I had started out picking this book in hopes that this would be a new series to fill a void another book series is leaving, since it's ending soon, and I can honestly say this series has met that book series void. Each chapter kept me more and more enthralled and rooting for Jae Hwa to figure a way out of her predicament and get her happy ending, all the while I was learning new facts about Korea, it's culture, people, past, and mythology. I mean I now know what a YO is or a KOMO or HARABOJI words that refer to bed, aunt (from dad's side) and grandpa they are stuck in my head just from reading this book. So was the book thrilling and exciting? Yes and was it educational too, Yes but fascinating as well, so I definitely recommend getting into this series.