WATCHER
Book One in the Watcher Series
by AJ Eversley
YA Science Fiction, Dystopian
Release March 2017
300 pages
Tour dates: Sept 4 to 29, 2017
"I knew I was not alone. They would never leave until every last one of us was gone." Sawyer Russo has sworn to protect humanity, and as a Watcher she’s done just that. But the Bots and Carbons that took her city are evolving, and they start picking the Watchers off one by one. One last rescue mission will change everything. When someone betrays them, the line between friend and foe is no longer easily drawn. Sawyer made a vow, and she will fulfill it, even if it means ending the person who deceived them, no matter who it might be. It all comes down to one choice... Who can she save? And who does she have to let go?
MY TIDBITS
Set in a dismal future, this fast-paced adventure grabs from the very first page and doesn't let go.
As one of the last humans left on Earth, Sawyer's life has become a game of pure survival. As a Watcher, it's her job to destroy all Bots and Carbons--the machines which have managed to nearly drive humanity into extinction. When a rescue mission enables a traitor to gain access to the hide-out, this last base of survivors is threatened to be wiped out. . .unless Sawyer makes the right decisions.
This is a book, which is sure to grab the interest of Divergent fans. Future Earth is a dark place, one whose dangers are clear on every page. The urban setting holds enough familiar details to make it easy to picture, while allowing the futuristic idea of Bots and Carbons to raise the tension in every scene. The stakes are high, the air tense and the adventures flows quick and fast. In other words, this is not a book that invites boredom for even a moment or two.
About half-way through, the plot takes a sudden turn with several huge twists, which drop in rather suddenly. The events take the plot in a wonderful direction, and add lovely layers and tense possibilities. A little more build-up to this moment was missing. . .something which happened a few times during the story as well. Still, there's so much going on that it's a packed read the whole way through.
Sawyer is tough and packs ton of girl power. She knows how to swallow back emotion and get the job done. Although this makes her hard to grasp at first, as the tale progresses, her inner warmth peers out and, by the end, she's hard not to like. The added romance, although not always smooth, gives the story the necessary softness to touch the heart. There are emotional moments which dig at the soul, but this read keeps the action tight like a full-speed, roller coaster ride. The other characters add interesting layers, but the depth itself rests mostly on Sawyer and her hero.
The author has created an intriguing world and I can't wait to see where this series goes next.
To read more reviews, please visit AJ Eversley's page on iRead Book Tours.
Buy the Book:
THE TRAILER
INTERVIEW
I'm horribly excited to have AJ stop by here today and be willing to answer a few questions (because everyone is curious when it comes to the secret life of authors). Thanks a bunch, AJ, for stopping by! And here we go. . .
Your author name is AJ, is there a reason you didn’t go with your first name?
I originally went back and forth between AJ and Amy as my author name, but ultimately decided that AJ seemed to flow better and it allowed for ambiguity when readers picked up the book (they didn’t know if I was male or female). I personally have never done it, but I know some readers who are turned off if it is a male or female author…or their opinion on the book can change based on gender. I wanted to eliminate that potential barrier right off the bat, and have actually found that more often than not, people assume I am male! I have a few reviews with Mr. Eversley referenced in them.
That is a crazy thing when it comes to science fiction. I've also noticed that people tend to think the author is male if they aren't sure. Wonder why? Hmmm...
Anyway, this book wasn't done, I'm sure, the first time you wrote it. What did you edit out of this book?
In both Watcher and Carbon I found I had to edit out my own personal reaction to situations. I’m a crier…no matter what the situation I will likely tear up. Happy, sad, frustrated, confused…I cry! So although you will see in my books some characters do cry, I had to change up their reaction a few times so they didn’t ALWAYS cry! This was actually caught by my editor and took me a while to fix as it was my own personal go to reaction.
There were several scenes where I can see that. It's hard not to feel for your characters.
How long does it take you to write a book?
The actual idea and putting pen to paper doesn’t take long. My first drafts can be completed in about a month, however the revision and editing process can take another few months. I typically like to give myself 6-8 months from start to finish with a novel to ensure I have more than enough time to make the necessary changes needed, along with going over suggested changes from the editor.
When did you write your first book and how old were you?
My first published book, Watcher, started in October 2015. It wasn’t published until March 2017 mostly because I spent a year or so just deciding what I was going to do with it. So at the time I was 29 years old…unless you count the numerous 5 page “Babysitters Club” fan fiction I wrote when I was about 12-13 years old, but the only person to read those books was my mom.
Lol! I'm sure she loved every page!
Were you always good at writing and language arts as a kid in school?
No! I actually had to do summer school in grade 10 so I could continue into English 20 the following year. I always loved reading, but in truth, I didn’t find my passion for writing until I was quite a bit older! I think that’s an important thing to note for kids who might have a creative mind or ideas for stories but feel they aren’t good enough in school to write their own novel. I encourage you to keep writing and exploring the creative side of writing, because if I can do it, anyone can.
Great words of advice!
So, now to the last question--What is your writing Kryptonite?
A good book! Ironically I can get so distracted reading a good book that I will ignore my own writing. It’s important as a writer to keep reading so that you’re always learning from other authors, but I find sometimes when I should be writing I am actually sitting down reading a good book instead. (This happens EVERY TIME a new Sarah J. Maas book is released!)
Sarah Maas is awesome! Can't hold that against any writer.
Thanks again for taking the time to answer the questions and good luck in the rest of your writing!
And here she is. . .
AJ Eversley is the author of the WATCHER series. A true north Canadian girl, AJ currently lives in Central Alberta with her husband and dog. When she’s not writing, she can be found binge watching Harry Potter, quoting various movies in every day conversation, and eating copious amounts of candy.
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram
GIVEAWAY!!!
Ends Oct 7
1 comment:
Thanks so much for having me! And thanks for the review,can't wait for you to continue the series :)
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