Surrender the Sky- GIVEAWAY & INTERVIEW & REVIEW

Author: Meradeth Houston

Publisher: Muse It Up Publishing

Publication Date: May 2^nd 2014

Blurb Description: Gabby lives by two unbreakable rules: don’t expose her kind, the Sary, and don’t fall in love—too bad some rules are made to be broken.

When Gabby’s most difficult charge accidentally shoots her in front of a class full of students, the event exposes her carefully hidden identity. She shifts from looking like a normal teen to her secret Sary form, revealing her wings and the existence of her kind—immortals who try to keep people from committing suicide. Her incident attracts the attention of the next leader of the Sary, Jassen, who offers her an impossible bargain: she can keep her wings if she makes amends with those who know the truth. Things get more complicated when a rebel Sary, intent on exposing them to the world, starts interfering with Gabby’s work. And there’s no denying her attraction to Jassen, who is torn between his duties and his heart. With threats at every turn and her immortality on the line, Gabby has to find a way to save the Sary or surrender the sky forever.

Giveaway: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview:

1. For all those who haven't had the pleasure, elaborate a bit about the Sary Organisation- what they do, how they got here and whom they are headed by and any other bits of information!

--Where to start! :) Okay, the Sary are the souls of those who died before taking their first breath and are therefore given the chance to come to earth to help those in need--mainly those who are thinking about committing suicide. It's a hard job and their leadership gives them assignments of who they should be helping. Sometimes they're able to get people out of their depression, and other times not. They're kind of like guardian angels, but also not totally (there's not a whole lot of religion in the books). They're facing troubled times during the books in my series--there are a lot of Sary that are interested in losing the secrecy they've always worked with, which is seen in Surrender the Sky, but comes to a head in book #4 :).

2. Talk to us a little about Surrender The Sky: the storyline, your heroine, her male counterpart and their common nemesis- just a little. to give readers an idea of the fun they're in for!

BOOKMARKS TO WIN!

--Let's see, really quick, Gabby is a Sary who loses her assignment, which is bad enough, but royally messes up when she accidentally lets everyone see her Sary form (think wings, and think big no-no!). Anyhow, the soon-to-be leader of the Sary, Jassen, shows up to ‘release’ her, but changes his mind...for certain reasons :) However, Gabby’s accident may possibly expose all of the Sary, due to the brother of a certain special person, whom Gabby has to stop. Hmm, not sure it totally does the book justice, but that's the gist of things!

3. How was your experience writing Surrender the Sky? Since the basis for the Sary has already found its roots in your head in your previous books, was it easier to write this stand alone?

--Actually, this book was far easier. I already know this world so well it's kind of like visiting a favorite spot :) Also, I have already met Gabby and Jassen in other books, so putting everything together was mostly just a good time!

4. Do we get more Sary after this? (please, YES) or are you working on something new altogether?! Talk to us, your avid readers, about your journey to become a writer as well!

--I already hinted a bit about book #4, and I'm hoping that will be finished this summer (fingers crossed!). I also have a bunch of other projects in various levels of completion, mostly in the sci-fi realm of things. My journey to get here has been a long one, filled with lots of stumbling around, but also a lot of amazing people and a ton of learning. Even if at times I get really frustrated (ugh, querying new projects is never fun!), I love to write!

5. We would love to know more about you- a few quick questions!

Favorite Movie? --GATTACA. I think I've seen it at least 20 times.

Favorite Song? --Anything by The Black Keys.

Favorite Book? --No way I can pick just one! I do love A Wrinkle In Time quite a lot though.

Favorite TV Show? --X-Files. I'm a re-run junkie on that show, at least the earlier episodes.

Favorite Hobby?  --Writing! And I love crafting, too :)

Favorite Author? --Madeline L'Engle. And John Steinbeck. And Diana Gabaldon. Shoot, I could go on for ages!

Favourite Character (from a book, of course!)? --Meg from A Wrinkle In Time, but there are far, far more!

About the author: 

Meradeth Houston is the author of The Sary Society. Although she's never been a big fan of talking about herself, here are some random tidbits about her:

>She's a Northern California girl. This generally means she talks too fast and use "like" a lot.
>When she's not writing, she's sequencing dead people's DNA. For fun!
>She's been writing since she was 11 years old. It's her hobby, her passion, and she's so happy to get to share her work!
>If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she's terrified of heights.

My Review:

Surrender The Sky. Let’s start with that- it is a SERIOUSLY cool name! The first time I read it, I felt shivers go up my spine! But, that’s not the point…

If you haven’t read the interview or the blurb description already, the Sary are the souls of those who die before taking their first breaths. They are given a choice between being a Sary or just not existing anymore; fading away into the blackness that eventually consumes all. They are trained on an Island and their leader is referred to as the Teacher. Their main task is to, well, stop people from committing suicide and help them regain their happiness lost due to the tragedies of everyday human life.

I love the concept of Guardian Angels who help people that are thinking about removing themselves from the world we know. Suicide is such a common thing these days and it just feels better to think that, at least in the book, people are receiving the help they crave, but don’t ask for.

So, Gabby is a Sary, who loses her toughest assignment, after he shoots her, forcing her to reveal her wings which violates the top rule of being a Sary. Convinced she is going to be released, or made mortal again, she meets Jassen, the future leader of the Sary. Strangely handsome and completely unattainable, he offers her an impossible bargain: she can keep her wings if she makes amends with those who know the truth…

As if explaining the supernatural to people that don’t want to believe isn’t hard enough, Gabby also has to deal with rouge Sary, who believe that the Sary and all the miracles they make happen should be worshipped, not sworn to secrecy till the end of time.

Surrender the Sky was a fun book! I thoroughly enjoyed it, from cover to cover! There were certain, points, however when I felt that our protagonist was being a bit whiny, with her ‘I am the Worst Sary Ever’ and her jaw dropping open at pretty much every time there was a twist in the tale (and there were many, unexpected twists, that is). I think I would have enjoyed the book a lot better if it were told from the rogue Sary perspective; it would have definitely been one of a kind!

There were a lot of exceptionally written scenes, especially when the ones where Gabby and Jassen were flying off into paradise! They just increased the level of the book for me!

My Verdict:

A fun, light read that will make you smile and beg for more!