Ethereal Underground *Giveaway

(I was given the opportunity to review and giveaway a copy of Ethereal Underground. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.)

My pal from my TTU days wrote a book and asked me to review it here. I jumped at the chance! I knew she wrote a lot, but I never had a chance to read anything by her until now. I also knew she was into fantasy, futuristic, and romance type stories all rolled into one, but let's face it....I think I'm a fantasy gal, too. I never imagined being drawn to those types of books, but I find myself interested in them more and more lately. Ethereal Underground, written by Brooke Kennedy and Briana Gaitan, is the story of Ash and Annalise, two beings who were never supposed to meet. They remained on separate planes of existence until, that is, Anna was sent to reap Ash's soul. Instead, she found herself using her ancient powers of healing. She couldn't explain why she did it, but she knew she landed herself in a whole world of trouble for doing so.

The book cover description reads:

Can the person who was sent to steal your soul, be the same person who steals your heart?
The keepers are protectors of the planet Cabalin, charged with defeating identified enemies and preventing other planets from waging war on their dying planet. They are expected to keep their emotions in check and do as they are told no matter what the consequences. One of their rising warriors, however, has been placed on sabbatical for reasons unknown to those around him. Rebellious, impulsive, and moody, Ash has continued to break the rules by frequenting the Ethereal Underground, the seedy hang out in the eighth layer of the planet. Ash has always believed in the keeper’s cause, but his taste for adventure always seems to get him in trouble.
The seraphs live on a different plane of existence. They watch over the mortals and reap their souls when it is time for them to depart to the afterlife, but do not associate with the beings otherwise. They are duty bound and loyal creatures, each of them having an affinity for a force of nature that they can use when needed. When a seraph breaks the rules, they are banished and stripped of their affinity. These evil creatures are named the fallen. Annalise, a reaper seraph blessed with an affinity for water, has always followed the rules until she is called to reap Ash’s soul and take it to the afterlife. This time, however, she finds it difficult to take the soul.
Their worlds were never supposed to meet. Now everyone’s future is in jeopardy, their lives turned upside down as they find themselves on the run from the very people they thought they could count on. The two of them must search for a way to clear their names and hunt down the evil forces of the fallen, without losing themselves or those they hold dearest. This epic fantasy will take you on an exhilarating quest for love, truth, and revenge.

What I Thought:

Honestly, I didn't think this was going to be up my alley. I thought it would take me awhile to get through it. Once I started it however, I couldn't put it down. It's lengthy but not overly detailed. Sometimes I feel bogged down when authors present a lot of new information at once and I find myself trying to keep up with the world they've created. I'm typically reading for pleasure so if I have to go back several times to understand how the fictitious world works, I get annoyed. I didn't feel like that at all while reading Ethereal Underground. That's the sign of a good writer- when fantasy is flowing and interesting. I read their book in under a week which was pretty quickly since I have two babes who take up the majority of my time. I really really liked it. I had this odd mixture of jealousy and pride in my friend who is a published author of a book (a book!). I just want to finish one at some point in my life. Anyway, I'm a big fan of this book...and not just because I know one of the women who wrote it. I really hope you'll check it out. Perhaps it would be a good Christmas gift for the fantasy reader in your life! 

Kennedy and Gaitan have been writing together for ten years! I think that's pretty cool, but I can't imagine how that would work. You can read more about how they did it here.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Now I'm off to read The Fault in Our Stars. Review to come.

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