Welcome to the iReads Book Tour for THE ACRE SERIES by G. J. Kemp!
Today with a Book Review of Juno and the Lady & an Author Interview with G.J. Kemp!
About Juno And the Lady
- Title: Juno And The Lady
- Author: G.J. Kemp
- Genre: Epic Fantasy
- Where to Find it: Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub
Synopsis:
Juno’s beloved Petra is dead.
Petra’s replacement, the mysterious Lady, has put Juno’s best friend Tilly under a dark spell that has left Juno with nobody she can trust.
With only Chax, her kitten, for company, Juno escapes from her school to a town at the bottom of the cliffs.
A town ruled by men.
Alone, scared, and without friends, Juno feels an unknown power growing inside her. A power she knows she will one day have to harness. With all lost, a dark figure from within the shadows cups her mouth and whispers in her ear to keep quiet.
Juno joins her new friends but just as she starts to learn how the world really works, the ill-tempered Dr Viktor demands an audience.
Juno and the Lady is a young woman’s journey into a land of the old ways, where men rule, and women are property.
With unlikely friendships, forbidden love and burning magic, can Juno change the conventions of old? Can she save the town? And will she figure out who the Lady truly is?
Other Books in the Series:
About G.J. Kemp
A nomad at heart, GJ has lived in nine countries across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. His career has included working as a Divemaster in The Red Sea, a zookeeper in Israel, and a proofreader in Sweden.
Born with cerebral palsy, GJ has spent a lifetime trying to tie his shoelaces while standing up in the hope of not falling over. It is a constant challenge, but sometimes he occasionally succeeds.
Finding the love for writing later in life, GJ spends most of his free time going for walks and dreaming of story ideas. He hopes to one day have a small place on the oceanfront where he can walk his dogs on the beach.
Connect with the author:
website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ twitter ~ tiktok ~ goodreads ~ bookbub
Author Interview
When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
Through my 20s, I always had this feeling that something was missing. That I should do something other than the 9-5. Sadly, work paid the bills, so I never took care of the creative side. In my 40s that feeling started to burn brighter and one day I picked up a laptop and started writing. That was on the 1st October 2019. Ever since that day, I have sat in front of a computer and written something. It brings me constant joy and now the only slight thing I regret is that I never started it earlier.
When you are not writing, what other hats do you wear? What do you do for fun?
I think this may sound sad, but writing is what I turn to for fun. I work full time as a project manager, which is demanding and time-consuming. My writing is what I turn to when I need to escape the day-to-day grind. I occasionally take a break from everything, and binge watch a tv series. But even when I am doing that, I am taking note of the writing.
What is your favorite genre to read? What about that genre draws you?
Fantasy is my top genre by a long shot. I was thinking about this the other day and trying to figure out what my favorite fantasy book is? Where did it all start? I eventually remembered that my mother bought me Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree series and from that point on, I have been hooked. If there wasn’t a fantasy book about, I think the next genre would be horror. Stephen King all the way.
What is your vacation destination? Why?
I would have to split this out. Rome would be my city vacation because of its history and the Italian food. For sun and sea, the Algarve in Portugal is my vacation destination of choice. The one place that rules them all is London, England.
What drives me to vacation destinations is their history, followed closely by food.
Who did you have in mind as you wrote the book?
I wanted to write an Epic Fantasy series focusing on characters and their friendships. I am writing most of the books with dialogue heavy focus, which brings out the characters’ personalities. They are always surprising me in some way, shape or form.
The first book, Juno and the Lady, has a sub arc which concentrates on the importance of the sexes working together. The second book, Miles and the Soldier, has a sub arc of disability. The third book, Chloe and the Slaver, which comes out in Q1 or Q2 of next year, focuses on… (not going to give too much away)
As a former K-12 school librarian I have to ask – what is your favorite children’s book?
Oh my, this question is always a hard one. Lion, Witch and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, stands out. Lord of the Rings is a up there. (Is this a children’s book?)
But, as mentioned above, Enid Blyton’s books are my all-time favorite. The Faraway Tree, Famous Five and Secret Seven.
What advice would you give to a child or teen who wants to be a writer?
I would tell them to read, read and read some more. My love for writing came from reading fantastical stories. There are so many great children’s stories out there that focuses on courage, bravery, heroism, love, and friendship. Read as many of them as you can and feel the joy, they bring you. Because one day, when you write, you may be able to bring the same joy to someone else.
Giveaway!
THE ACRE SERIES Book Tour GiveawayMy thoughts on Juno and the Lady
An epic beginning, cliché I know, but it’s an apt description of Juno and the Lady by G.J. Kemp.
I’ll be the first to admit that one of the reasons I love fantasy is because of the complicated world building involved. I love being immersed into a new and different world so unlike ours currently, and having to really focus on figuring out how this new world works.
G.J. Kemp starts off Juno and the Lady with a strong female character and he develops her and her strengths throughout the storyline. The descriptions are very detailed and give you a vivid picture of the situations Juno and her friends find themselves in.
The world was started in this first book and I am still trying to figure out where G.J. Kemp is going to take us. It is a bit of a different style than I am used to reading but nothing wrong with it. AND I sincerely am enjoying the interlays G.J. Kemp is interweaving.
It does seem very abrupt in certain scenes and more telling than I usually prefer from the characters but I am enjoying the storyline!
3.5 Stars
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Thank you for the review and interview 👏🏼