Goldilox and the Three Weres: Blogoversary Giveaway and 4 Reasons to Read The Veil by Chloe Neill

Here at Goldilox and the Three Weres we are celebrating our

4 YEAR BLOGOVERSARY!

In honor of four wonderful years, we've got two weeks of author guest posts and giveaways! Be sure to check back every day until August 7.

Today's Giveaway Comes From:

Chloe Neill

Chloe Neill couldn't make it to our blogoversary party, but she still sent a gift. We've got a copy of The Veil for a lucky winner. Enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post.

And because it's our 4 year Blogoversary, here are 4 reasons we think you should read The Veil.

The Veil
(Devil's Isle #1)
Chloe Neill
Release: August 4, 2015
Goodreads Amazon

Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.

Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.

Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.

But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn…

Why We Think You Should Read It:

1. Signature Chloe Neill Style
Rose Red says: This is a much darker story than the Chicagoland Vampires series. The characters are deeply scarred by war and loss, which makes smiles few and far between. There is definitely some of the signature snark that I’ve come to expect in Neill’s characters. It’s not as lighthearted as the banter in CV but it’s still there. There’s a lot more social commentary in this book too which totally fits with the post-apocalyptic setting.

I love Neill’s easy writing style. She has a way of painting a setting and its characters that seems almost effortless. It takes you right into the heart of the story and into the characters' lives. It has only gotten better and better with each new book she publishes.

2. Worldbuilding
Gretl says: The post-apocalyptic/dystopian world of The Veil reminds me of the Kate Daniels series in some ways. Chloe Neill’s New Orleans was damaged by a war with magical creatures, rather than by magic itself, but the magic seeping through the veil disrupts electricity and limits their technology in similar ways. The book was a little slow getting started because of all the history, but not any more than you might expect for the first book in a series.

It breaks my heart a little bit that she destroyed New Orleans, but enough of the landmarks and culture remain that it’s still recognizable. The people value their history and traditions and there’s a sense of hope that the city will return to its former glory.

3. Claire and Liam
Rose Red says: I like the fact that the main characters, Claire and Liam, are for the most part "normal." Okay, Claire is not completely normal. She has to work at controlling her magic. She’s not instantly a bad ass. I loved her! Claire is a fantastic heroine. She’s smart and she's not afraid of doing whatever she needs to to survive. I liked how personable she was. She's very much a shopkeeper in so many aspects of her life. She felt very real to me.

Claire is kind of innocent despite what she’s seen and I like that. She made the decision to trust Liam with her secret even though his motivation was unknown at the time. He could have been a greater threat to her than a help. Neill’s characters are always incredibly layered, complex, and interesting. Liam knows how to handle himself and I liked how he shared everything with Claire. I liked how he shows Claire how incredibly shortsighted she’s been about the paras. The romance subplot in this book is pretty subtle and I liked it that way. I’m going to admit that I ship Claire and Liam. I ship them so hard! I can’t tell you how often I thought “ZOMG! JUST KISS ALREADY!” while reading.

4. New Paranormals (and all the other things we want more of)
Gretl says: I love the government corruption and political conspiracy elements of the story – it wouldn’t be NOLA without them. The fact that Devil's Isle is a prison camp for the sensitives and supernaturals creates so many opportunities for the government to get in the way. I’m interested to see if Claire and her friends will be able to change the system. I want to more about the sensitives, how they evolved and how many there are. I’m also looking forward to meeting new kinds of Paranormals as the series progresses – so far there’s an angel and a dryad. The possibilities for who could have been left behind when the veil closed are really endless.

We each received an ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley