Review of A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir & Event Recap & Giveaway

Read for: I LOVE this series & Recent Purchase!

Review of An Ember in the Ashes

Review of A Torch Against the Night

Synopsis: "Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.

The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister's life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias's devotion–even at the cost of his humanity."

My Review: I have anxiously been awaiting this one and it certainly did not disappoint but it did set a whole different tone than the previous books. There was a lot more internal strife, a lot of each character trying to find their place and their beliefs and where they draw their own moral line. I love how the addition of the Nightbringer's perspective adds and element to the story that makes you question who is in the right, and where the line between right and wrong lies. Each character has to answer questions about that right and wrong, they face tough decisions, and it lends to a much darker and beaten down tone to this book. It was honestly a bit draining to read but totally worth it, and the end really gives you a bit of hope and I love the direction it seems to be heading. 

My Rating: This is without a doubt a Four Paw book for me. It didn't capture me and make the pages fly quite like the previous two books did but that is due to the darker nature of this story. I need the next book, I need to know what happens!

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I was so excited to find out that Sabaa Tahir was going to be coming near me during the Reaper Release Tour and even though it was on a Tuesday night and Hubby, Munchkin and work all suffered a bit for it but it was so worth it!

I arrived a bit early and found a nice little park to read at until the start of the event.

The event took place at An Unlikely Story in Plainville MA.  Check out this little slice of heaven! I love the feel it gives off, lots of little cozy cubbies for different genres and yet a big open feel with some really eclectic gifts mixed in, and it has a little cafe and reading areas, then a whole upstairs for events!

I got a ticket online which included another copy of the book and they so kindly added this Elias poster! Now I just need to get my hands on the Helene & Laia posters!

I really enjoyed the format of the event, with a discussion between Karen McManus (Author of One of Us is Lying) and Sabaa Tahir. It was really entertaining and I think my favorite part was when Sabaa was talking about how she wished she was better at describing the character's outfits, she stated it usually goes "He was wearing black; and then he stabbed someone." LOL 

They then opened it up to the audience for a brief question and answer session. Sabaa then had a little trivia game with prizes.  Followed of course by signing lines. 

It was such a blast and I have to say An Unlikely Story really did a fantastic job running the event, everything was so smooth and seamless. Everyone was comfortable and happy and I cannot wait to go back!

So, I did end up with about 3 hard cover copies of A Reaper at the Gates, one of the extras was with my ticket, so I had Sabaa sign an extra copy to giveaway here to my lovely followers!! I am also including a couple of other items, the Laia & Elias Tea from Bookish Tea and a little pillow from Icey Designs with a quote on it.  

Of course with anything else we have rules
~You must be 16 or older to enter 

~Enter the giveaway via the below Rafflecopter methods
 ~US only, sorry but shipping this book would be too costly for me at this time
~Giveaway ends midnight on the 11th, winners will be selected the next day (I will be contacting you via email)

a Rafflecopter giveaway