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Monday, September 18, 2017

The Sky Throne by Chris Ledbetter (Review, Author Interview & Giveaway!)


Today, I'm kicking off the tour for Chris Ledbetter's latest fantasy novel. Scroll down to read my review and my interview with the author. And be sure to enter the giveaway to win this book and an Amazon gift card!


Book Details:

Book Title: The Sky Throne by Chris Ledbetter
Category: YA Fiction, 300 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Month 9 Books
Release date: April 18, 2017
Tour dates: Sept 18 to Oct 20, 2017

Content Rating: PG + M (No f-words but there may be some mild profanity, and mild religious expletives such as "damn", "hell" and "Oh God!", some depictions of violence. No drug use or underage drinking. Some semi-mature themes - suggestion of sexual misconduct by certain characters, but not the actual performing of it.)

Book Description:

Duality dwells at every turn, and an adolescent Zeus will learn that all too well when Hyperion attacks his family on Crete.

When the dust settles, his mother is unconscious and his best friend left for dead.

Stacking epic insult upon fatal injury, Zeus discovers the woman who raised him is not his biological mother. But to ensure her safety while she recovers, a heavy-hearted Zeus leaves her behind to seek answers at Mount Olympus Preparatory Academia.

Zeus embarks on a quest to discover who ordered the attack on his home, avenge the death of his friend, and find his birth mother. When some of his new schoolmates vanish, Zeus's quest is turned upside down, and the only way to make things right is to access the power of The Sky Throne, confront a most dangerous enemy, and take his life back.

On his way to becoming king of the Greek gods, Zeus will learn to seize power, neutralize his enemies, and fall in love.


My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

In 2015, I read Chris Ledbetter's Drawn and loved the unique setting and characters so much they made it on my list of Best YA Reads of 2015. It was a really cool book. What did I think of this latest release?

The story in The Sky Throne is based on Greek mythology, a YA rendition of a young Zeus and his adventures as he attends Mount Olympus Preparatory Academia and discovers who he is. I am familiar with some Greek mythology but reading this book made me research Zeus to learn more about him.

The author introduced a good cast of characters, and initially it was hard to keep them all straight but eventually as the plot unfolds, it became easier to keep track. Including a character list at the beginning of the book would have been helpful since each character also has a nickname. Zeus is young and hot-tempered. He wants to avenge his friend's death and find his birth mother. He lacks maturity and discipline but is courageous and bold. He comes across as a typical teen and is likable for his sense of justice and ability to see the good in others.

After a strong start to the novel, the action slows a little as we are introduced to the other students at the Academia. There are a few scenes that feel like a high school soap opera, until the action picks up again as the students set out on a quest to look for their missing classmates. I loved how the teens worked together, each with their own distinct character traits and abilities, infusing some comic relief too. Ledbetter has a great way of describing the action and emotional scenes with shapeshifting, dragons, teleporting, fireshooting, energy bending and more! He really made these scenes come alive for me.

The Sky Throne has a satisfying ending but left room for a sequel, which I believe is to be released spring of 2018. I'm looking forward to continuing this saga!

To read reviews, please visit Chris Ledbetter's page on iRead Book Tours.

Disclosure: Thanks to the author for sending me this book for review. I was not told how to rate or review this product.



Buy the Book:



Watch the Trailer: 






Interview with Chris Ledbetter:

LCR: Welcome to Library of Clean Reads, Chris! Can you describe your book in 20 words or less?

CL: This Zeus origin tale re-imagines the Greek gods as teens in a story loosely based on Hesiod’s Theogony.

LCR: What made you want to write a novel with characters from Greek mythology?

CL: I have always loved Greek myths. The very first novel I ever wrote was also based heavily in Greek mythology. But it centered on mortals, and then having the gods intervene, as they were wont to do. In THE SKY THRONE, I sought to tell a story of the deities themselves, bring life to my version of their origins.

LCR: Who is your favorite hero in Greek mythology?

CL: Heracles is definitely my favorite hero. The Twelve Labors are epic!

LCR: What feedback have you received from your readers that has made you happy you wrote this book?

CL: I’ve had readers tell me that they loved some of the secondary characters, and that I really made them come alive on the page. Some friends really loved the way I made the gods relatable. I’ve also had Greek friends of mine tell me that I nailed the descriptions of place and cultural markers.

LCR: What was the most challenging aspect of writing this book? The easiest?

CL: The most challenging was definitely the ensemble cast and ensuring that each character was drawn three-dimensionally and that they held their own and carried their own weights.

LCR: If you could travel back in time, where would you go? Who would you see?

CL: I have two destinations… I’d love to see Ancient Alexandria in Egypt. In particular, I’d visit the Library and the Lighthouse. Secondly, I’d want to visit Ancient Rome at the height of the Roman Empire. I’d want to stroll around the forum and temples and of course attend gladiatorial bouts in the Colosseum.

LCR: What is the funniest (or strangest, or scariest) incident that has ever happened to you?

CL: When I was two years old, I pushed out the screen to a second floor window and fell two floors to the ground.

Also… when I was 7 or 8, I went to a summer wilderness type camp. I was sleeping on the top bunk. All of a sudden the camp counselor was shaking me about the shoulders asking me to get up. I looked around and I was in the middle of the floor. Apparently, I had rolled off the top bunk in my sleep… and remained asleep.

This is probably why I have a fear of heights. Haha.

LCR: Can you share with us some of your favorite authors and what you are currently reading?

CL: I love Laini Taylor, James Dashner, Heather Petty, Tracy Clark, Suzanne Collins, Carrie Ryan, Liz Crowe, Paolo Coelho

I’m currently reading Lightstruck by Liz Crowe. I love her work.

LCR: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me!


Meet the author:



Chris Ledbetter is an award-winning author of short fiction and novels for young adults. “Jason’s Quest,” a short story retelling of the Jason and Medea Greek myth was published in the anthology, Greek Myths Revisited. His first full-length novel, Drawn earned him two awards, Library of Clean Reads Best YA 2015 and Evernight Publishing Readers’ Choice Award Best YA 2015, as well as a USA TODAY “Must Read” recommendation. His second novel, Inked, concludes that duology. The Sky Throne is his newest young adult novel. The second book in the series is set to release in 2018.

He's a proud member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and a strong supporter of the Need for Diverse Books. He now writes and lives in Wilmington, NC with his family, including three cats.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ facebook ~ Pinterest


Enter the Giveaway!
Ends Oct 28



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13 comments :

  1. Thank you so much for hosting and interviewing me!
    Cheers!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by! I look forward to reading your other books too. :-)

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  2. Such a unique cover! Can't wait to read this!

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  3. Thanks for this fascinating and wonderful feature and giveaway.

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  4. I think that the cover is amazing!

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  5. Sounds like a good read. I love the cover

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  6. Loved the author interview. Its always fun to learn about the people who write the books we read.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sounds so good, and I love the cover!! Cannot wait to read

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting! I appreciate your feedback.

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