Review + Author Interview + Giveaway (INT): Valley Of Dust by Karoleen Vry Brucks

Hello everyone!

We have with us today, author Karoleen Vry Brucks, who has written the interesting and absolutely engrossing novel, Valley Of Dust. 

Karoleen has answered some questions that we posed in a nice and short Author Interview. We've also added a new concept called  'Random Picks' in this interview, which is just like 'This or That'! 

Karoleen is also giving away a really great prize comprising of a Paperback copy of Valley Of Dust and some really cool swag! 

My review of Valley Of Dust can be found later in this post or can be viewed separately here. 

Read along! 

GOODREADS SUMMARY OF VALLEY OF DUST:  

Even as a little girl, Selene had always been adventurous, climbing trees and finding new adventures in every nook and cranny. She was never accepted by either gender—all children thought she was too outspoken and strange. Little did she know how different she truly was until an encounter with a mysterious stranger changes her life forever. Readers can witness the intriguing events unfold in Valley of Dust, a novel by Karoleen Vry Brucks.

From the moment that Lucian saw Selene, he knew she was special and that she was his destiny. He sent his brother, Anton, out to watch over her and protect her while she was still unaware of her true nature. Lucian, however, didn’t foresee that Anton and Selene would be mutually attracted to each other. Will Selene come between the two brothers? How will she handle the truth about what she is and the power that courses through her veins? Readers can unravel the exciting answers as they explore the Valley of Dust.

REVIEW:

*NOTE: Author Karoleen Vry Brucks provided us (The Readdicts) a copy of Valley Of Dust in excahnge for an honest review. We thank Karoleen for the book! 

I found Valley Of Dust very, very interesting. Initially, I thought it would be like any other regular paranormal romance. But there was so much more to it than just that. In Valley Of Dust, you are introduced to some new, fresh and quite different concepts. 
Valley Of Dust is about a species called as strigoi, who can inject life and also drain it from another person. Selene is an unusual human who is neither accepted by her friends nor her family. She has an affinity to the elements. The only constant in her life- which also happens to be the only thing that's kept her sane- is the handsome man, Lucian, who keeps appearing in her dreams. Lucian sends his twin brother, Anton to keep an eye on Selene and to protect her. When she is attacked and almost raped, Anton makes sure that Selene is safe and she then actually steps into Lucian's life as the two men bring her to their house. That is where Selene meets Carla, a beautiful woman, not just looks-wise, but also as a person and Jacques, the French cook, who is also really beautiful as a person.  She then discovers what she really is. Screwing up with the wrong brother, children, strigoi Council meetings, drama, a few fights and a bit of violence here and there, all become a part of Selene's new life. There is also a mystery twist to the book which brings into focus Detective Michael, and that makes the story all the more absorbing. 
I don't quite know how to give more details about the book without spoiling the story. 
As a protagonist, Selene was great. She is straight-forward, smart and a little harsh at times, which is only because of the neglect she has been through. Lucian was the typical gentleman, but I don't know what to say about Anton. That guy gave me the creeps! Lucian and Anton both have Alexander and Sebastian, two parental/brotherly figures in their lives, who are also eminent members of the Council. Selene's children, Marcus and Serena are very interesting and I would like to know about them and I wish they get their individual stories. 
The pace of Valley Of Dust was simply mind-blowing. It was a quick read and yet everything was well explained. For me, the book was all about something new in the paranormal genre. When I think of the book, the only adjective that comes to mind is 'interesting', because that it what Valley Of Dust was- interesting. Author Karoleen Vry Brucks has written a fresh concept in a very engrossing way. I am definitely going to be on the look out for more books by her. 

RATING:

X 3.5

ABOUT KAROLEEN VRY BRUCKS (FROM GOODREADS):

French-American author Karoleen Vry Brucks lives with her husband and 3-year-old daughter in North Carolina. She enjoys writing, painting, cooking different cuisines and loves animals. She loves North Carolina because one can get the beach and mountains with very little distance in between the two.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

Karoleen Vry Brucks

Welcome Karoleen! Thank you for taking the time out to answer our questions! 

 1) Can you tell us a little bit about your book, Valley Of Dust? 

Valley of Dust is a different kind of romance. I wanted it to be more realistic. I believe no matter what no one will be perfect, if anything I wanted readers to know it takes work to make any relationship work.

 2) What inspired you to write Valley Of Dust? 

The cover of the book is what inspired me. I had a dream of someone unable to control their powers and how destroying all life. The whole book came to me after that dream and I decided to write till I couldn't write anymore.

 3) Valley Of Dust introduces us to a new species called strigoi. Can you give us a brief description of it? 

There are two kinds of Strigoi. One is born from mortal parents with a caul on top of their head. These Strigoi are called Live Strigoi and have magical properties. They are the true immortals living off Essenes of life. The other Strigoi are undead. Most of them turn to demonic ways because they can not adjust to a different life beyond the grave. They usually only discover who they are when they come back and kill their family accidentally. As of now no one knows how to create an undead Strigoi but many are working on it.

 4) I absolutely adored Carla. She was simply beautiful as a person. Do you have a favourite character from your book? 

It is funny that you said you liked Carla. I have a friend who brought Carla out into my book. She was my best friend at first sight and she inspired me to give Selene a true friend. My favorite character is Serena but she is still a mystery to you all:-) I love children and Serena is very special:-)

5) Without giving away any spoilers, can you tell us who is your preferred twin? Lucian or Anton?  

I love them both but in the prequel I am writing it will explain how they became so different. Lucian is my preferred choice because he is someone who puts his heart and soul into his family. Family comes first to him.

 Also, we are doing something different with this Interview. We've come up with a 'this or that' list of questions that we'll be calling Random Picks. You have to pick just one of the two choices given, and they're just one-worded answers! 

 1) Ebook or Paperback?

Paperback

 2) YA or Adult?

Young adult

 3) Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook

4) Beach or mountain?

Beach

 5) Day person or night person?

Night

 6) Tea or coffee?

Coffee

 7) Chocolate or vanilla?

Both:-)

 8) Blue eyes or brown eyes?

Blue

 9) Black or White?

Black

10) Good guy or bad guy?

Good

Thank you, Karoleen, for being with us today and great picks! 

You can get in touch with Karoleen on Facebook right here. By liking her page, you get entered into some really great giveaways that she keeps hosting for all her great fans! This activity also gives you FOUR easy entries in this giveaway! 

Make sure you also check out Karoleen's Website. 

GIVEAWAY:

You have now come to the most anticipated part! The giveaway! 

Karoleen has generously agreed to give ONE Paperback copy of her book, Valley Of Dust to a lucky reader along with some really cool swag (postcards, bookmarks, etc.) 

This is what you can win! 

Awesome, right?

What's even more awesome is that the giveaway is INTERNATIONAL, all thanks to Karoleen! 

A little 'thank you Karoleen' comment on this post also gives you an easy entry in the giveaway! 
You can earn up to TEN entries which increase your chances of winning! 
Following The Readdicts is mandatory. 

Giveaway rules are simple: 

• Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form for the giveaway. 
• Winners will be announced here on the blog and also emailed, after which they will have 48 hours to respond  or else we'll be compelled to choose another winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Thank you for stopping by everyone, and I hope you enjoyed the Interview and the post!
Good luck for the giveaway! May the odds be ever in your favour! :)
Happy reading!

Sarika