Diverse Reader: August Li

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Release Day Review: Nomad's Dream by August Li #Review #Giveaway

Author: August Li
Title: Nomad's Dream
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: January 29, 2019
Cover Artist: Tiferet Design
Length: 192 pages

Reviewed by Morningstar

Synopsis

Two men, each with a hidden destiny. Can they defeat a web of deceit and dark magic to ensure their fates intertwine?

Bedouin Isra al-Grayjaab’s dreams lead him to Janan, an amnesiac beggar on the street of Qena—one who steals his heart and starts him on a seemingly hopeless quest. With only their wits, Isra’s knowledge of the desert’s secrets, and the aid of a mercurial djinn, they must recover Janan’s past. But neither can predict his true identity or the lengths others will go to see that his mind remains broken and his true power out of his reach.

In a sweeping romantic adventure that takes them across the Eastern Desert to the modern streets of Cairo and on to the luxurious Red Sea Coast, Janan and Isra seek a truth that will either bring them into each other’s arms or tear them apart forever.

Buy Links

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

Review

I will admit that this book started a little slow for me which made it hard to want to keep going, but the characters and setting kept me intrigued enough not to give up.

The author did a wonderful job in creating and describing not only the world and beauty of the desert but the Bedouin way of life. They also did one thing that I truly love in books that have other cultures and languages was include them as part of the story by interspersing them throughout. And they was completely respectful in the way they handled it as well.

The paranormal characters were an interesting and fun addition to the story, but the mix of religious characters was what threw me. That is a completely personal preference and not something that hinders the story. It took me a little bit of time to realize that it takes place in modern day Egypt, but it also made my heart ache for the LGBT and women in the story. I do have to say that this didn’t feel like a true romance story. Yes, the main characters fall in love, and we get to watch that journey, but it felt as though the focus wasn’t their love and the evolution of that but, the adventure and mystery parts of the book.

Although I was cautious of Flicker, the djinn (secondary character) from the start, I thought his character was well developed and left me intrigued about him from the start. The author has a unique way of writing and is both detailed and beautiful.

Giveaway

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Saturday, January 19, 2019

All About Me and What's To Come~ August Li #Giveaway

Great to have to have you all back for our next featured author August Li. They're here talking about their work, showing off some awesome art, and they have a giveaway! So hang out and enjoy.

Hey Diverse Readers! Thanks for taking time out of your day to hang out with me. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is August (Gus) Li. I write fiction with multicultural and LGBT+ characters, usually with some element of magic, science fiction, or the paranormal, and often with exploration of all sorts of interpersonal relationships between them.

First I’ll talk a little bit about my latest release, Nomad’s Dream. This story means a lot to me because it’s been on the periphery of my mind for at least ten years or so. It all started when I picked up a bottle of champagne-gold OPI nail polish with the same name, and that phrase just stuck with me. I knew I wanted to use it in a book or as the title of one. What can I say—inspiration comes from strange places sometimes. I never forgot about it, but I also wanted to do it justice, so I dismissed dozens of ideas before the seed of this book finally took root. But like much of the work that I think is the most successful, it took a long time to germinate, and I spent many hours walking on the beach, thinking about Isra, Janan, and Flicker, trying to get to know them and understand them before I began. And then there was the research. Oh the research.

Nomad’s Dream is different to much of my work in many ways. First, it’s less nihilistic and much more hopeful. It’s also a solid romance that I think meets the expectations of the genre nicely, complete with a happily ever after for the guys. Foxes are only on-page for a sentence or two. It’s less twisty than some of my plots, though I still think (hope) there will be plenty to surprise readers in its pages. In some ways I suppose it’s a reflection of where my life has taken me recently—meeting an incredible woman, falling in love, and settling down much more than I have in several years. I’m happy and still kind of in awe of my good fortune. That makes it easier to write about love.

What’s next for me? I’m currently working on another installment in the Incubus Honeymoon series—not really a sequel, since I’m endeavoring to ensure each of these urban fantasy adventures stands alone. It’s a different state of mind to Nomad’s Dream, for sure, but enjoyable and challenging in its own right. One of the best parts of being a writer is the necessity to learn about such widely varied subjects.

For those who have read my work, what would you like to see more of? What characters of mine would you like to see again, and which wouldn’t you miss if they went away? Comment below for a chance to win a ten-dollar Dreamspinner Press gift card, good at all three of their imprints.