These Violent Nights by Rebecca Crunden – Blog Tour

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Synopsis

Once upon a time, inhabitants of another world tore a hole through the universe and came to Earth. They called themselves Suriias, and rivalled humans in knowledge and skill with one great exception: they had magic.

War followed. Humanity lost. And three hundred years later, humans are on the brink of extinction.

Orphans Thorn and Thistle live in hiding. They are the last of their families, the last of their friends. They scrape by, stealing to survive and living on the streets or hiding in sheds. But even under the brutal regime of the Suriias, there are places where humans can mingle in secret with magical sympathisers, and one night Thistle gets an unexpected offer of marriage from a Suriia with high standing and friends in all the right places. For Thistle, it’s a chance at safety and comfort; for Thorn, it’s a chance to find the ones who killed her parents.

And so the pair move into the capital city of Courtenz. An urban monstrosity of magic and might, false friends and flying cars, drones and death tolls, the new city promises a fresh start – and new love – for both.

But if there’s one thing Thorn knows for certain, it’s that dreams can swiftly turn into nightmares.

Publisher: Self-Published

Length: 620 Pages

Genre: Romantic Dystopian, Fantasy

Age Category: Upper Young Adult, New Adult

Date Published: 10 November 2020

Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/These-Violent-Nights-Rebecca-Crunden-ebook/dp/B08TG98P9S (Canada)

https://www.amazon.com/These-Violent-Nights-Rebecca-Crunden-ebook/dp/B08TG98P9S/ (USA)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/These-Violent-Nights-Rebecca-Crunden-ebook/dp/B08TG98P9S/ (UK)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59521557-these-violent-nights

My Thoughts

In These Violent Nights, Rebecca Crunden has created a whole new dystopian world for readers to become immersed in. It’s a world where humans are on the verge of extinction, hunted and used as slaves and it works so well. I became so involved with the plot that I completely forgot this new word was fiction and often found myself becoming outraged at some of the characters’ behaviour, thoughts and beliefs.

The city of Courtenz is so vividly described but not through large chunks of description. Little details dropped into the narrative form Thorn and Thistle’s perspective made me also feel as though I was experiencing the city through their eyes. The feel of a place so unfamiliar and different to what the characters know comes through in their emotions and reactions to things. The balance of fear and awe comes through so well.

The plot is always moving forward and there is always and underlying sense of malevolence and suspicion and I really didn’t know who to trust – which really conveys the way Thorn feels as she experiences this new world. That feeling of being torn into wanting to enjoy the new lifestyle and luxuries but being so wary of everyone and their motives really shines through and creates tensions throughout the whole book.

These Violent Nights is not a short book but it is worth every single page. It has amazing world-building, intriguing characters and suspense and it’s easy to see why BBNYA panelists had very high opinions of it.