From Goodreads: "Lucy’s twin sister, Margot, may be safely back with her—but all is not well in Plague-ravaged Dominion City. The Watchers have come out of hiding, spreading chaos and death throughout the city, and suddenly Lucy finds herself under pressure to choose her future: does it lie with her handsome new friend, Alastair; her guardian, the enigmatic True Born leader Nolan Storm; or the man who makes her heart trip, her savage True Born bodyguard Jared Price? But while Lucy ponders her path, fate has other plans. Betrayal is a cruel lesson, and the Fox sisters can hardly believe who is behind the plot against them. To survive this deadly game of politics, Lucy is forced to agree to a marriage of convenience. But is the DNA of her will stronger than the forces opposing her? Can she turn the tide against the oncoming storm? As they say in Dominion, rogue genes can never have a happy ending."

About True Storm:

If you can't beat them, change them...

Want to read more? Pre-order your copy of True Storm (True Born Trilogy, #3) by L.E. Sterling today!

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Earlier Books in the True Born Trilogy:

As they say in Dominion, sometimes it’s not you…it’s your DNA."

Thank you to Entangled Teen for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for review! All opinions are my own. Also special thanks to YAReads Blog Tours for having me on this amazing blog tour!

True North was one of my most anticipated reads of 2017 and it definitely did not disappoint! While this book certainly has the "middle book" feeling, it was a great continuation to the series and sets up the story to have a fantastic finale.

Plot:
This book begins about four months after the end of True Born. Margot is still missing and Lucy has no idea where she's gone. Having been abandoned in Dominion City, Lucy has had no choice but to rely on the kindness of the True Borns, namely Nolan Storm who has promised Lucy he will help her find her sister. But Storm has his own agenda that doesn't involve finding Margot, and Lucy gets tired of waiting, so she takes off for Russia with her True Born bodyguard, Jared Price. But Lucy can't help but worry that Jared's loyalty to Storm will hinder her chances at finding her sister. All is not as it appears, and the secret to the Fox sisters' blood must be discovered before they wind up dead. As I said above, this book definitely feels like a middle of the series book. There was a lot of build up to get to the "good stuff" so to speak, and a lot of it felt kind of boring at times, which was unfortunate because I was so excited to read this. Lucy spends a good chunk of the book putting her faith in Nolan Storm and his "promise" to help her find Margot before she realizes he's really not going to help her and she decides to take matters into her own hands. It was a lot of her and her inner monologue that involved either Jared and her frustration with him, where Margot is, and her growing distrust of Storm. Fortunately, however, once they got to Russia and discovered just why the Russians were so interested in Lucy and Margot, I was all about it. This book definitely builds up more on the twins and their "specialness" and I was so excited to read more about them, but the book was over before I knew it! There's a lot more world-building in True North, and you also get to visit new places outside of Dominion City which was really great to experience. At 400 pages, this certainly isn't a short book, but I absolutely flew through it and was dying for more by the end. It perfectly sets up the finale and I am so excited to see just where the story line goes from here!

Characters:
I'm not going to lie, I felt like Lucy wasn't as strong of a character in this book. She didn't act very smart, making reckless decisions such as wandering off from her bodyguard detail only to get pulled into a trap, and a large portion of the time her thoughts were on Jared. I definitely still enjoyed her connection to Margot and how dedicated she was to finding the key to her lock, as they are described several times throughout the book. Now that's not to say I didn't like her, I still love Lucy, but I just felt she wasn't the same Lucy from True Born. Which I suppose I can understand seeing as how she's completely cut off from her sister for such a long period of time. When it came to Jared, he drove me absolutely nuts! I couldn't understand why he constantly pulled Lucy around and was so hot and cold with her, and there were times where I was completely convinced that I was done with him as a whole. Especially the parts where he would comment about smelling Lucy. I just couldn't handle how...odd that was. But again, understandable as he's basically a cat, you know? The tension between the two of them was a huge part of the book and it was enough to make me shout at my Kindle several times. I did enjoy Ali as he was funny and had that something special about him. Although I shuddered at the thought of there being a love triangle introduced because I wasn't sure I could handle that. But he was great and I really wish there was more of him instead of Jared being all possessive about Lucy and then pushing her away. I was also pretty annoyed with Nolan for obvious reasons, but he definitely still had that electric personality that's just so hard to dislike. I think all of the characters were written so very well throughout this entire book and I was so happy to be back in this world with them and exploring more about Margot and Lucy. I have such a soft spot for all of them in their own ways and while I may not have been happy with every single thing they did, I still think they were all fantastic and I can't wait to see where each of their stories goes in the next book.

Writing:
L.E. Sterling has this way of writing that is elegant yet creepy. This entire book gives off the most spooky and dystopian-like vibe I've ever read about, and it's such an incredible experience. You get so much more world building with True North and it's just as desolate and terrifying as it was in True Born, if not more so. There's a constant sense of danger that accompanies Lucy throughout and you really get the feeling that something bad could happen at any time, anywhere. I loved the distinction between Dominion City and the other places that Lucy visits. She makes a comment about how it's always raining in Dominion, and that really gives you an idea of just how torn down and on the brink of complete destruction that place is. It's definitely one of my favorite dystopian cities I've ever read about because it feels so real, almost like I could climb through the pages and visit the alleyways with "Evolve or Die" written on the walls and see the kid gangs that roam the streets lining dead bodies with rocks. Being able to create such a vivid and frightening world that is still somehow beautiful is an amazing thing, and L.E. Sterling does it effortlessly. Her writing is unlike any I've ever read and it's incredible to see the growth from True Born to True North. It's growing and evolving into some of my favorite writing ever and while the wait for the final book is going to be long and hard, I know the words between the pages are going to be more elegant and chilling than ever.

True North is a book that is filled with fantastic characters, a plot that will leave you breathless, and writing that is sure to send shivers up your spine while painting a beautiful picture in your mind at the same time. I highly recommend picking up True Born first if you haven't (not only because it's fantastic but because it will provide all of the backstory you need to appreciate this book) and then having True North next to you to continue your journey. It's an incredible continuation to a wonderful dystopian/fantasy series and definitely cannot be missed!

Buy True North here!

Hi hello and welcome! Today I have the pleasure of sharing an excerpt from one of my most anticipated books of 2017, True North by L.E. Sterling! Be sure to keep an eye out for True North which releases on 04 April 2017 and get an awesome sneak peek below:

Excerpt from True North by L.E. Sterling

Welcome to Urban vs. Epic Fantasy Week!

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Let us know what you think of the cover for True North by L.E. Sterling which releases April 4, 2017!

About True North (True Born, #2):

Abandoned by her family in Plague-ridden Dominion City, eighteen-year-old Lucy Fox has no choice but to rely upon the kindness of the True Borns, a renegade group of genetically enhanced humans, to save her twin sister, Margot. But Nolan Storm, their mysterious leader, has his own agenda. When Storm backtracks on his promise to rescue Margot, Lucy takes her fate into her own hands and sets off for Russia with her True Born bodyguard and maybe-something-more, the lethal yet beautiful Jared Price. In Russia, there's been whispered rumors of Plague Cure. While Lucy fights her magnetic attraction to Jared, anxious that his loyalty to Storm will hurt her chances of finding her sister, they quickly discover that not all is as it appears…and discovering the secrets contained in the Fox sisters' blood before they wind up dead is just the beginning.?? As they say in Dominion, sometimes it’s not you…it’s your DNA.

Want to read more? Pre-order your copy of True North (True Born, #2) by L.E. Sterling today!

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About the Author:

L.E. Sterling had an early obsession with sci-fi, fantasy and romance to which she remained faithful even through an M.A. in Creative Writing and a PhD in English Literature – where she completed a thesis on magical representation. She is the author of two previous novels, the cult hit Y/A novel The Originals (under pen name L.E. Vollick), dubbed “the Catcher in the Rye of a new generation” by one reviewer, and the urban fantasy Pluto’s Gate. Originally hailing from Parry Sound, Ontario, L.E. spent most of her summers roaming across Canada in a van with her father, a hippie musician, her brothers and an occasional stray mutt – inspiring her writing career. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.

                           

Hello readers! Today I have a very special post for you all. I had the privilege of interviewing the author of True Born, a YA sci-fi/fantasy novel releasing today, May 3rd, 2016. This was such a wonderful experience and I am so excited to share this with you!

Please join me in welcoming the wonderful L.E. Sterling!

1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

Hi, everyone, and thanks for having me here. I’m L.E. Sterling, author of the upcoming True Born Trilogy. True Born (Book 1) is being released on May 3rd. It’s a YA sci-fi romantic dystopia novel, but I’m gathering from readers that it’s very different from other sci-fi dystopia – there’s a very large element of fantasy in the novel that makes it kind of unique.  I’m also the author of two other YA novels: The Originals (under my original pen name, L.E. Vollick and Pluto’s Gate. 
What else can I tell you? I’m a Canadian. Growing up, my family’s religion was Star Trek. I earned a PhD and my thesis was on magic (that was fun).

2. What are some of your goals for the future? 

Goals… What an interesting question. My first goal is to write the best darned trilogy I can, and really deliver an amazing series to readers. After that, well, it would be great if eventually I could write books full-time instead of full-time on top of my full-time job!

3. What are some things you do to help relieve writers block?

I don’t really believe in writer’s block. If I’m stuck it’s for a good reason, so I sit long enough to understand what the problem is. Typically I’ll just keep writing and then maybe go back and rewrite, or make notes until I understand what the book is trying to tell me.

4. If you weren't a writer, what do you see yourself doing? 

I honestly can’t see myself being anything else. At my “day job” (because even having published three novels, I don’t make enough to support myself by writing books) I’m also a writer. I write stories about amazing advances in science, biomedical engineering, and medicine. It’s a great job - and obviously really inspired True Born!

5. Do you have any unique/quirky writing habits? 

Hmm. I think the quirkiest thing about my writing habits is that I can’t stand having dry hands. I always need some moisturizer nearby or I get distracted.

6. What does a "normal" day of writing consist of for you? 

Ha! Define “normal”. I get up at around 5 and write in a journal for a bit, then hunker down to the book. Sometimes I don’t get a lot done, but on average I can write between 2 and 4 pages. And then I have to go to my day job!

7. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? 

Work at it! The thing about writing is that it’s a business. You’ve got to apprentice to the craft, learn to write and edit and think through the problems of writing. But then you’ve got the “business” side that you also need to learn. And it takes (well, for most of us) a long time to get really good, so don’t get discouraged!

8. How did the idea of True Born come to you? 

I was going to write another set of novels set in Dominion, centering around Serena and Carl and Storm. I wrote True Born as the backstory for those novels, just sort of exploring the world and this story emerged – and then it took off!

9. What was your favourite part of True Born to write?

I loved writing the action scenes! I’ve always wanted to write a good action scene, and in True Born I think I’d got a couple of interesting ones down.

10. What was the hardest part of writing True Born?

I think the hardest part was building the tensions properly between Jared and Lucy. I’m always afraid of tipping my hand and making things heavy handed, but I think if anything I’m guilty of the opposite! What I think is already clear is “subtle” and “simmering” for the readers.

11. If you were True Born, what animal features would you have?

Hmm. Great question. I actually had a conversation about this with a friend not so long ago. I think I’d have some characteristics of a fox. They’re clever, swift, like to run, but skittish!

12. Which character do you think you would get along with the most? 

I think Nolan Storm and I would be BFFs. At least, I hope we would! I know he doesn't seem the type to make friends easily, but I really think he’s cool. I also think I’d like him to buy me dinner, because I bet he’d take me to the very best restaurants!

13. Is there any insight you can give into the future of the True Born series?

The second book, True North, will be coming out in April 2017! I’m really excited about this one - I think it’s going to be a great read. I’m still hard at work on the third novel and I think the most I can say is…well, you’ll have to read it to believe it!

Thanks so much for the interview! I’d love to hear from readers, so please get in touch!