Hello my booksicles!
I’m so glad to be participating in the Below blog tour hosted by the FFBC as I read an early copy of Below last year and it truly was one of the most phenomenal books I have ever read. You can read the review here. Today I’m doing something a bit different as instead of interviewing an author, I’m interviewing the main character of the book, Apaay! Basically, I asked the questions and the author answered them from the point of view of Apaay which is exciting because who doesn’t wish they could directly ask questions to their favourite book characters.
About the book:
- Book: Below
- Author: Alexandria Warwick
- Publisher: Wolf Publishing
- Release date: February 4th 2020
- Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Synopsis:
From the author of The Demon Race comes a YA dark fantasy series inspired
by Inuit mythology.
In the heart of the frigid North, there lives a demon known as the Face Stealer. Eyes,
nose, mouth—nothing and no one is safe. Once he returns to his lair, or wherever it
is he dwells, no one ever sees those faces again.
When tragedy strikes, Apaay embarks on a perilous journey to find her sister’s face—
yet becomes trapped in a labyrinth ruled by a sinister girl named Yuki. The girl offers
Apaay a deal: find her sister’s face hidden within the labyrinth, and she will be set
free. But the labyrinth, and those who inhabit it, is not as it seems.
Especially Numiak: darkly beautiful, powerful, whose motives are not yet clear.
With time slipping, Apaay is determined to escape the deadly labyrinth with her
sister’s face in hand. But in Yuki’s harsh world, Apaay will need all her strength to
survive.
Yuki only plays the games she wins.
Book links:
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo
Interview:
How are you so strong, Apaay? What keeps you going through hardship?
I don’t see myself as strong, really. In my mind, there is one choice: do, or do not. If I do not spear a seal, then we do not eat. If I do not get Eska’s face back, then our family will never be whole. The North teaches my people that a certain resilience is necessary to endure. Ice cracks, but water flows. As well, there is a saying among the Analak: The night is long, but the sun will soon greet you.
What is one thing you wish you told or did with your sister before her face was stolen?
I wished I could have apologized for snapping at her on the ice. If I hadn’t done so, her face might never have been stolen.
After you left to find your sister’s face, what did you miss most about your home?
I missed my family more than anything. In truth, they are my home. Being in their presence is enough for me, most days.
What is your greatest fear and your greatest dream?
My greatest fear is dark water. I was named after my maternal grandmother, whose name-soul I was given at my birth. When my grandmother was a child, she fell through the ice and nearly drowned. Thus, her fear of dark water was passed onto me during the naming ceremony.
As for my greatest dream . . . I wish I had an answer for you. Before the labyrinth, I wished to lead the summer hunt, and for my people to see me as worthy of the task. Now, it would be enough for Eska’s face to be returned to her, and for my family to be together again.
If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice before you set out to find your sister’s face, what would it be?
The in-between will play tricks on the mind. Trust no one.
About the author:
Alexandria Warwick is the #1 fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is the author
of The Demon Race and the upcoming North series.
Links:
Goodreads | Website | Instagram
Click here to see the whole blog tour schedule
Click here to enter the giveaway
Thank you so much to the FFBC and Alexandria Warwick for letting me interview Apaay!
Sereadipity 