Blog Tour: Dark Company by Natale Ghent - Review & Author Guest Post (GIVEAWAY INCLUDED!)

Hi everyone! I have an incredibly exciting post for you all today. I was asked to join the lovely book tour for Natale Ghent's newest release Dark Company. I will first give you all a good ol' fashioned Padfoot's Library review of the book and then I have a lovely author guest post for you all about the book itself. Stay tuned until the very end of the post because there is an awesome giveaway included! ;) Let's get onto the review shall we?

Dark Company by Natale Ghent

Publishing Date: March 3, 2015
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 304 pages
Young Adult Fantasy

The Premise: The story follows the protagonist Caddy who is seventeen years old and in this world of fantasy that Ghent has created, she experiences visions of destructions. Unfortunately on one night, her father goes missing and was captured by The Dreamers who “dream” to bring light to the dark entities, sort of like the visions of destructions she was facing. The dreamers are unfortunately hunted and killed by a group called the Grey Men, who assist The Speaker. In a world with multiple realities, Caddy also crosses paths with high school classmates Poe and Meg and she begins to learn about herself and her surroundings through her interactions with the Dreamers.

My overall thoughts and review: I only have a handful of books that totally exceed my expectations as a YA novel and really push the boundaries, Dark Company is definitely one of them. Ghent spins together this fantasy that includes not the usual suspects of paranormal beings, but rather human beings that are transformed into elevated beings. The concept is so cool because it is not the traditional vampire, warlock, werewolf characters, but rather characters called Dreamers, who "dream" to prevent the dark from gaining control, the dark entities who seek to control the planet and then there is Caddy's classmate, Meg, who becomes Skylark and she becomes a Light being. Both Caddy and Skylark cross paths in the quest to find the someone they love, Caddy to find her father and Skylark to find Poe. Both perspectives of Caddy and Skylark were so interesting to read from, they were both so similar yet so different. I really enjoyed that this novel encourages the reader to think outside the box and kind of apply the concepts and theories to our everyday lives. The concept of lightness and darkness in societies and what is destroying our societies in the book can very much relate to our life. We may have different names for them in our everyday life, but there are light entities and dark entities that exist (you can think of it as angel vs demonic, that's how I looked at in the book). I really could not stop thinking about this book and contemplating the dreamers of our society. Although the book doesn't really end on a cliffhanger, I really hope that Skylark and Caddy will be back for me in perhaps a sequel? I really enjoyed this brand new spin on Fantasy. I think that Ghent tackles the genre with strong female protagonists, an interesting take on society and allows the reader to rethink their societal circumstances. If you are a fan of the Constantine comics from DC, I think this one is definitely the read for you!

My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮✮ (5/5 stars) 

Now available for purchase at:

Chapters/Indigo and Book Depository (Free International Shipping)

Author Guest Post

 "Tattoos, Telepathy, and Quantum Physics" 

Have you ever thought about a friend or loved one, and then that person calls you seemingly out of the blue? Have you ever noticed something you never noticed before, only to see it again and again in different contexts, to the point where it seems intentional? Have you ever had the same dream at the same time as someone you know?

These are such commonplace occurrences we’ve learned to brush them off as coincidence. But is that all it is? What are the chances that so many people experience random synchronicities with such frequency? And if it isn’t just happenstance, what is a reasonable explanation for it, and what are the greater implications?

One theory is that everything in the universe is connected through an invisible sea of energy—a roiling matrix of subatomic particles constantly popping in an out of being—and it’s through this matrix that we are able to communicate our thoughts with one another. In her book, The Field, author Lynne McTaggart describes it as “an ocean of microscopic vibrations in the space between things”—an inexhaustible expanse of quantum energy in what was once dismissed as nothingness. Scientists call it “the vacuum,” “zero point energy” or the “zero point field.” Luke Skywalker would simply call it “the force.” When something (or someone) appeals to us at an intuitive level, we say that it “resonates” with us. What we mean is that the “frequency” of a specific philosophy or experience or personality is similar to (and in harmony with) our own, drawing us together and unifying us. This is also physics: the vibration of one body is reinforced by the vibration of another body at or near its frequency—and so on and so on—creating a cascade of electromagnetic impulses that travel at the speed of light, influencing other bodies as they go. So, what if our thoughts, our feelings, our beliefs are expressions of energy? What if they have a quantifiable resonance or vibration capable of affecting and influencing the thoughts and feelings of those around us in the same way particles affect and influence each other? What if we are all linked through an invisible matrix that allows near-instantaneous communication and total connectivity without the use of external machines like phones or computers?

In Dark Company, the Dreamers communicate through a shared frequency enhanced by something they call the mark: an opalescent tattoo of a concentric mandala worn on the underside of the left arm that serves to amplify their ability to resonate with each other. The mark is worn by those dedicated to maintaining the Light on the earth plane. It helps them tap into the invisible sea of energy to send messages to each other no matter where they may be. The mark helps the Dreamers align their individual frequencies with that of the group; it’s also a symbol of their unified intention.

This energetic interconnectivity is also explored in the ethereal realm of The City of Light. In the City, entities are connected by similar frequencies (or energetic signatures) and as a consequence, are able to communicate instantly and telepathically with each other. Naturally, for the sake of privacy, there must be protocols and rules: eavesdropping in the City of Light is strictly forbidden. In the case of Skylark, the story’s demon-hunting ethereal protagonist, her super-frequency status means she has no limitations to her reach, and it is this ability that is both the source of her incredible power and the reason for her vulnerability. Until she learns to control and stabilize her frequency, she is open to the negative vibrations and intentions of dark energy.

While these notions may seem fantastical, they are rooted in science. Some day, when we are able to understand and harness the infinite possibilities of the zero point field, we may decide to forsake our phones and computers for the immediacy of communication through this vast ocean of energy. It’s limitless and free! Best phone plan in the universe.

If you would like to receive a mark of your own, visit www.darkcompanybook.com

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And now for an exciting GIVEAWAY! One lucky reader will win a SIGNED copy of Dark Company! The giveaway will be open for ONE WEEK (Ends April 8th) and you MUST leave a blog post comment below USING THE RAFFLECOPTER APP! 
GIVEAWAY IS FOR CANADIAN READERS ONLY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck all! :D

Disclaimer: An advanced reader's copy of this book was sent to me by Random House Canada to participate in the blog tour. The signed copy of the book for the giveaway will be provided by and shipped by Random House Canada. All opinions are my own.