Seams in Reality Blog Tour! (+$25 Giveaway!)

Title: Seams in Reality

Author: Alex Siegel

Series: Seams in Reality #1

Pages: 305

Date Published: September 27th. 2014

Publisher:  Amazon

Format: Kindle

Genre: Fantasy

Source:Goddess Fish Blog Tours

Synopsis:

As a freshman in a suburban college near Chicago, Andrew leads a mundane life until he meets a professor named Tonya. She is secretly a master sorcerer, and she invites him into a conspiracy of magic. Only those few who possess exceptional talent may join. A resourceful young woman named Charley has the same supernatural gift. She accompanies Andrew on his journey into a dark profession, and romance quickly blooms between the young apprentices. When Andrew meets Blake, a sorcerer who knew his grandfather, Andrew becomes embroiled in a game of lies and treachery. Blake's thirst for power leaves a trail of casualties, and in the end, only Andrew can stop him.

The sequel, CRACKS IN REALITY, will be published around Christmas of 2014. Two more books, BREAKS IN REALITY and SHARDS OF REALITY are planned for 2015. Alex Siegel is also the author the fourteen-book Gray Spear Society series. The first book in that series is APOCALYPSE CULT which is permanently free.

~My Thoughts~

This series is interesting. It's kind of a cross between Young Adult and Adult, but doesn't fall into the New Adult category either. The story and plot lent itself more towards adult literature, but Andrew was so young (ish) and his thought process had me feeling like I was reading for a younger audience. Still, age confusion aside, Seams in Reality

The best thing about this book, in my own opinion, is the magic system that Seigel employs for this world. Magic systems make or break a fantasy series, and if there is a good, strong one, it can lead to really good story points as well as tons of character development as they learn to adapt to (or fight) that magic system. It's always fun for me to see how using magic affects the magic users, and they way that the seams sort of cause people to go mad was fascinating. Energy for energy and all that, very dangerous, very fun.

The characters didn't really grow on me in the way that I wanted them to. They were pretty strong, and Blake and Andrew were particularly strong, yet I didn't relate to them on a personal level. Still, they were enjoyable to follow around and I had a good time reading! I definitely recommend Seams in Reality for everyone, young and old, boy or girl. :) 

~Try an Excerpt!~

"No, you finish first," Andrew said in a loud, clear voice. "Never leave a job 'til you're finished—remember that. Biff, up in Albany I saw a beautiful hammock. I think I'll buy it next trip, and we'll hang it right between those two elms. Wouldn't that be something? Just swingin' there under those branches. Boy, that would be..."

His amplified words boomed through the auditorium. Every seat was filled, and he was the reason, although he never bragged about it. Critics had lauded his acting skills in the strongest possible terms. Andrew remembered one article that had said, "Andrew Kenworthy has the imagination and command of a professional actor twice his age. He would be at home on a Broadway stage." He tried not to let the praise go to his head.

He had no idea where that talent had come from. Neither of his parents were actors or had expressed any interest in the subject. Death of a Salesman was Andrew's first serious production. Something about this particular stage had inspired him to stretch himself in ways he had never attempted before.

He was facing the fake trees on the set. They were just wooden cutouts painted green and brown, and close up, they looked cheap, but the audience didn't care. He was pretending there was a hammock hanging between the trees.

An unexpected movement caught Andrew's attention. Somebody was hiding in the shadows behind the trees, but the play didn't call for an actor to be back there now.

Andrew glanced towards the right wing. Some actors were waiting just offstage, ready to come in on cue. Stagehands in black clothes stood further back with varying levels of interest. Charley had a clipboard in her hand, and she stared at Andrew with a curious expression.

Another movement drew his attention back to the trees. A man in a rumpled gray business suit was standing just out of the light. He was carrying a battered old suitcase in each hand. Exhaustion made his face sag, and Andrew guessed the man was in his forties. Andrew had never seen him before, but he still recognized him.

Willy Loman, Andrew thought.

He completely forgot an audience was watching. He wandered over and stared at the apparition. Willy just stood there with his sagging shoulders and bent back. He had a blank, mindless expression.

"Hello?" Andrew murmured.

Willy didn't respond.

Andrew glanced at Charley, and her eyes were wide with alarm.

"What are you doing?" she whispered. "Say your line!"

Andrew turned back, but Willy had silently vanished. There was nothing behind the fake trees. What the hell is going on? Andrew thought.

He remembered the play. He turned to the audience, and even though the auditorium was dark, he could see over a thousand faces. They were watching him expectantly.

He realized he had forgotten his next line.

The actor playing Biff said, "Pop, I just washed the car. Do you see? How's that, Pop? Professional?"

Oh, right, Andrew thought. He looked at the other actor. "Terrific. Good work, Biff."

The performance continued, but Andrew would be the first to admit it was the worst of his short career. He kept glancing behind the trees and blowing his lines. Normally, he had the focus of a laser beam, but not tonight.

Finally, the show ended, and he didn't get his usual standing ovation. When the curtain dropped, the audience was still in their seats.

~Meet Alex!~ 

Alex Siegel grew up a math and computer geek. At the age of twenty-five, he received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell. He continues to make a good living as a software developer in Chicago. In his late twenties, he took up creative writing as a serious pastime with the intention of eventually making it his career. This goal has been elusive, but failure is not an option. In 2001, his wife gave birth to triplet boys. People often ask him how he still finds time to write. In 2009, he began the Gray Spear Society series, and he hopes it will be his key to literary fame.

Website: http://www.grayspearsociety.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraySpearSociety

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GraySpear

G+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/114008779380457126099/posts

Newsletter: http://ow.ly/CrMTe

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