With a Joyful Noise: Seventh Born | Blog Tour and Giveaway

I have finally tried a fantasy book. You can read my full thoughts in the review below (spoiler: I'm not into fantasy, for Biblical reasons).

But for now... the tour!

Having seven sons is a honor above no other. Which is why she is a disappointment. The only girl of seven children, she brought shame to her family. Who knew something like this could be turned into a book, but Rachel Rossano has done just that with her book, Seventh Born. Read on to learn more about the book and enter the giveaway.

About the Book

In a world where seventh born sons are valued for their strength and power, she is born a daughter.

Zezilia Ilar is the disappointment. Born after six brothers, she was supposed to be the son to restore her family’s prestige. She intends to remedy her shortcomings by being a dutiful daughter, marrying well and producing children, preferably a set of seven sons. But when someone offers her an alternative, she begins to dream of more.

In a society that worships a goddess, he follows the Almighty.

Hadrian Aleron, as a seventh son of a seventh son, stands to take up the second highest position in government, Sept Son. His main qualification for office is his birth. Despite preparing for this role from childhood, he does not desire what is to come. As a follower of the Almighty, he knows he will be the target of many, and his faith might eventually lead to death.

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079Z2PPJL

iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/seventh-born/id1351646000

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/seventh-born-2

Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seventh-born-rachel-rossano/1128018000

My Review

I’m basing my review off reading only about 15% of the book. Yes, I am giving it three stars, which may seem unfair since I didn’t even read a quarter of the book, but my rating is based on personal preference as a conservative Christian reader (had I read the entire book, the rating may have been lower). Not only did I agree to review this book, but I also realize that some of my reader friends may be interested in knowing my thoughts on it.

I knew going into this book that it was fantasy, so I can’t bash the author because of it. But, I guess you could say I got weirded out and thus didn’t want to finish it. The fantasy elements (at least up to the 15% mark) were mind-reading and body-moving (kind of like the “force” in Star Wars? Not sure, I haven’t seen it in decades). I think I could have handled the mind-reading in moderation, but pretty much the entire plot was wrapped around the “talented ones” who had the ability to both read minds and transfer their thoughts to others. And then there was the instance when, by mere intellectual focus, one lifted a body and moved him without touching him. I guess the supernatural effects made me uncomfortable. There are just some things that you don’t really mess with spiritually—the devil is the one who does weird things. Not Christians. So, as a Christian reader, I found the fantasy elements to dip too much into the spiritual realm of things that are extra-Biblical. I definitely didn’t feel at peace reading the rest of the book.

This is supposedly a Christian book. I realize that I probably didn’t read enough of it to get the Christian theme, so I’ll not critique that content. The one main character is a believer in the one true God, the other main character believes in “all the gods.” I would have been interested to see how that played out fully, but for reasons mentioned above, it wasn’t enough to get me to finish it.

I started this book with every intention of enjoying it, but yeah… it didn’t settle right with me; especially in this day and age when spiritual things are becoming blurred lines and people are more inclined to believe others’ words and experiences over what the Word of God says.

*I received this book from the author and happily provided my honest review*

About the Author

Rachel Rossano lives with her husband and three children in the northeastern part of the United States. Homeschooled through high school, she began writing her early teens. She didn’t become serious about pursuing a career as an author until after she had graduated from college and happily married. Then the children came.

Now she spends her days being a wife, mother, teacher, and household manager. Her evenings and free moments are devoted to her other loves, writing and book cover design. Drawing on a lifelong fascination with reading and history, she spends hours creating historical feeling fantasy worlds and populating them with characters who live and breathe on the page.

Follow Rachel on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/RachelRossanoRambles

Twitter – https://twitter.com/RachelRossano

Google+ – https://plus.google.com/+RachelRossano

Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/rachelrossano/

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1430209.Rachel_Rossano

Blog – http://www.rachelrossano.com/

Amazon Author Page – http://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Rossano/e/B004MV17GE/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/anavrea

Newsletter Sign Up – http://eepurl.com/4sbsv

Giveaway

Rachel is giving away an eBook of her book. You can enter here. Your odds of winning increase with every person you refer so spread the word! Good luck, and I hope you win!

Character Spotlight

Name – Hadrian Aleron

As the youngest of seven sons, he was given seven names (a cultural tradition): Ilias Durand Fidel Hadrian Krispin Valens Savill Aleron (which mean Jehovah is my God, enduring, faithful, dark one, curly-haired, valiant, from the willow farm, eagle). However, he goes by Hadrian most of the time.

Physical Appearance – Tall, dark brown unruly curls, angular features, and intense dark eyes

Tallest among his siblings, he stands out in many ways. Perhaps it was because of the knowledge that he was going to have to help lead a nation at a young age, but even before he took up the role, he carried an air of purpose and gravity about him.

Hadrian was raised by believing parents to honor, love, and obey the Almighty at all costs. In a nation that worships a goddess, that fidelity could mean persecution and, for a public official, possibly death.