Blog Tour: 27 Days to Midnight by Kristine Kruppa

17:15 Cilla 3 Comments


Welcome to my tour stop for 27 Days to Midnight by Kristine Kruppa! This is a young adult steampunk novel and the tour runs May 16-27 with reviews, interviews, guest posts and excerpts. 27 Days to Midnight released May 3rd by Giant Squid Books. The cover art is by artist Elizabeth Early.

Check out the tour page for the full schedule.

About the Book:


Everyone in Dahlia's world knows when they're going to die. Except her.

Her father has never shown her the pocket watch counting down the days she has left to live. When he sacrifices himself to save her from her scheduled death, Dahlia abandons her comfortable home and sets off after his murderer to uncover the secrets her father died to protect…and the time research that could bring him back to life.
Then she meets Farren Reed. She should hate him. He’s an enemy soldier, a cowardly deserter, and the most insufferable man Dahlia’s ever met. Still, she needs all the help she can get, and Farren is the only chance she has to find the man who murdered her father. But Farren has only twenty-seven days left on his watch.

In that time, Dahlia must recover her father’s time research, foil a psychotic general’s plot, and learn to survive in a world that will never be the same. But the research holds secrets more dangerous than she had ever imagined. She will have to choose what is most important: revenge, Farren's life, or her own. And time is running out.


Guest Post

What gave you the inspiration for this book?

The initial inspiration for 27 Days to Midnight came to me inside an old clock tower in downtown Detroit. A friend and I were exploring the building, seeing what lay up flights of rickety winding staircases and past floors thick with dust. We found the inside of an enormous clock.

I remember standing in the center of a tall, sun-drenched room, staring at the massive clock faces on each of the four walls. At the turn of each minute, one hand on each of the clocks advanced with an echoing click that echoed in the otherwise still room. I could hear each individually, a kind of rapid tick-tick-tick-tick. It was like standing inside time itself.

I knew I had to write about it.

I let the idea roll around in the back of my mind until it eventually became the world of 27 Days to Midnight, where watches show how long people have to live. This concept grew into a plot over the course of several years.

Choosing a genre was easy. I’m an engineer by day, so I love mechanical, machine-packed steampunk. Steampunk provided the freedom for me to create strange inventions: robotic horses, dogs, insects, and even people.

The settings in the story were inspired by pieces of our own world. When I’m not writing or engineering, I spend my time traveling. I took bits of places I’ve been—France, Italy, Peru, Vietnam, and Laos—and wove them into a fictional world filled with cliff cities and cobblestone streets.

Characters were more difficult. I initially wanted to write a tough, independent female lead who would have no qualms about running off on her adventure. But that didn’t feel right. Instead, I created Dahlia. Dahlia has no experience outside of the comfortable upper-class lifestyle she’s always known. She has to learn how survive. She’s helped along the way by Farren, who was inspired by a simple question: What would a person do if their watch was running out? How would they come to terms with that, and how would it change their life if they always knew they would die at a young age? The other characters started in various ways and evolved through the many cycles of revisions that led up to the final version of the story. Some of them, particularly the antagonist, Sebastian, turned out far different than I’d planned! 

Thank you for this post, Kristine! I love getting a peek into your creative process! 

Review

The best thing about 27 Days toMidnight is the world the story is set in. It's not just the concept of time, but also the high stakes of an ongoing war. Dahlia and Farren race against time while dodging criminals and other forms of danger along the way, which makes their whole adventure that much more exciting. Hand-in-hand with this, I feel that the writing shines the most in terms of action scenes and in the world-building. The action is well-paced and kept me glued to the story, and I thought we get enough details about the world to see it clearly without being overwhelmed by descriptions. Coming into the story, I was worried that the mechanisms of all the machines might be too dry, but they're fascinating; I enjoyed reading the characters utilising the machinery around them.

In her post above, Kristine spoke about creating Dahlia. I love that she didn't go with a tough, independent female lead! Dahlia's fears and inexperience made her relatable to me, and I love her journey to finding her strengths and footing in this new chapter of her life. Farren's character arc is intriguing, and so are Keet's and Tiberius'. Altogether, these four made a really fun crew to follow. I wasn't particularly drawn in by the romance between the leads, however. While the time research plot Dahlia's parents were involved in was fantastic, I wasn't so sold on their relationship either. I feel that the quieter moments between the characters could do with a touch more subtlety.

Overall, I enjoyed it! While relationships seems to be one of the story's weaker points, the world-building is solid and the plot keeps me fascinated. 

Meet The Author

Kristine Kruppa is a mechanical engineer, writer, and world traveler. Her days are spent designing cool new car parts, but her evenings are filled with writing and cats. She has traveled solo to seventeen countries on five continents. Her other hobbies include hunting for the perfect cup of coffee, exploring used book stores, and accidentally climbing mountains. To keep up with her adventures, follow Kristine on Twitter @kskruppa.


Giveaway

One (1) winner receives a hardback copy of the book (US only) 
Three (3) winners receive a digital copy (INT)
One (1) winner recieves a $10 amazon gift card (INT)
Ends 6/1
Prizing is provided by the publisher, hosts are not responsible. Must be 13 or older to enter and parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.


3 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you enjoyed this! Thank you so much for hosting a tour stop and sharing your thoughts!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the opportunity to host the stop, Candace!

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    2. Thank you for the opportunity to host the stop, Candace!

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Thanks for reading! It makes my day to hear your thoughts and I will respond asap. :)