The Longing and The Lack Book Tour

The Longing and the Lack
C.M. Spivey
(The Unliving #1)
Publication date: September 19th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

“Gothic curses, deadly love affairs, and vengeful ghosts combine to make this paranormal mystery a compelling page-turner.” — Tina Connolly, Nebula-nominated author of Ironskin
Lucinda Hightower is no stranger to death.
Since she was a child, Lucinda has been haunted by rabid dogs, suicidal crows, and the ghost of a woman in white. All are omens signaling someone’s imminent demise—except Lucinda’s friends and family are still breathing.
The omens follow her to Ireland and the quiet university in her father’s hometown, increasing in strength and frequency once she meets Damien Reed. A handsome third year student, Damien thrusts himself into Lucinda’s life almost immediately and caresses away the unsavory reputation that shadows him.
It’s not until the ghost sinks her nails into Damien that he reveals his secret: the death omens are for him.
They’re the manifestations of a curse that claims the life of the eldest Reed son every generation. Damien’s time is nearly up. If Lucinda is to save him, she must solve the mystery of her family curse, and lay a spirit’s rage to rest.
A dark romance for fans of Diane Setterfield and the TV show Supernatural, The Longing and the Lack is a Gothic story for the modern age.

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Reveiw: I absolutely loved this book. If anyone loves young adult books, then this one is a perfect read. It's so easy, I read it in one setting. This is one really well written paranormal book. I normally do two ratings but today I am just doing one because this book blew me away. My rating for this blows my normal rating system out of the water. I would give this book a 5plus because it's so amazing.

Disclaimer: I got this book from xpresso book tours. I would like to thank them for the opportunity to read it. I would also like to apologize for getting this post up so late. 

Author Bio:
C.M. Spivey is a speculative fiction writer, author of high fantasy FROM UNDER THE MOUNTAIN and the paranormal series, “The Unliving”. His enduring love of fantasy started young. Now, he explores the rules and ramifications of magic in his own works—and as a trans, panromantic asexual, he’s committed to queering his favorite genres. In his spare time, he plans his next tattoo (there will always be a next tattoo) and watches too much Netflix. Anything left over is devoted to his tireless quest to make America read more. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his darling husband Matt and adorable dog Jay.

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This is the first sci-fi book that I've read in years. Arwen Paris spins an amazing tale that will make you fall in love.  
At first it seemed to start a little slow for me and I wasn't too sure what was going on. I wound up loving it though and I couldn't put it down. There's so much to learn and so much going on in this story. I couldn't put the book down. I found myself torn between Stephen whose human and Katok whose part of an Alien race known as Vongjar. I can also find myself relating somewhat to Allison, who doesn't really know what she's doing. She tends to wing things a lot, but in my opinion that's exactly what made the book. Although Sci-fi isn't something I would normally read, I find myself being a huge nerd and hoping for a second book and so on to finish out the series.

Some of my absolute favorite quotes came from Allison and  few came from Katok. What I really liked about this book is that it had so many different things happening and that once it picked up and got going that it was never short of action. I'm normally not big on action books, but to me this one had just enough romance and action that I found myself loving it. I really hope that it's made into a movie. I would most definitely be one of the first in line to watch it, if its ever comes into theatres. I would watch it over and over again.

If your interested in the different races in the book, you can find them below. You can also find the cast of Characters below and what I liked about each one.
Characters:

Alson Delaney- Although she is human with a Xeenci symbiont inside her, she still retains her feelings. I think that makes her stronger and it helps her in the long run. 

Valerie Isabeau Delaney- She is Allison's mom. There wasn't really too much about her in the book, but no matter what was going on she always told Allison that she loved her. 

Becca Anderson- I find myself torn here, I can't make up my mind because she runs hot and cold towards Allison because of Stephen. 

Stephen- I don't like him as much as I do Katok, but he does protect Allison and he'll do anything for her because he likes her. 

Eenoki- is a xeencci symniont who resides within Allison. He or it trys to help her with her missing as much as possible. 

General Katok- probably my favorite out of all the aliens. I would love to see him and Allison as a couple if there are more books, which i hope there are. 

Voxchi- he will tell you the way things are. He's also blunt, and I think he can grow to like Allison. 

Tarem- he stood up for Allison as soon as he knew there was meeting her. He knew there was something special about her. 

Kiobaan-there's not much I like about her.

General Z'iram- he's smart but that's about it. He's part of the bad guys in my opinion. 


The Alien Races:  (Taken straight from the book because i couldnt habe said it better myself. Ma'tiok ("Ma-tee-ok")- Small rubbery black creatures that run on all fours like a cheetah. They have long necks, a thick hide and a ring of needle like fangs. The non-sentient Ma'tiok often snort like a pig before they attack. An oily black residue oozes from the wounds they inflict. Vongjar ("Vong-Jar")- These sentient humanoid aliens are burly and tall, most stand seven feet tall. Their fur although thin varies in color, similar to human hair; individual eye color also varies, the most common being gold and green. Small tufts of fur tip their ears and curl out from their elbows. They have a leopard-like nose, flattened, wide and hairless, thick feet that have claws. The Vongjars have two hearts. A spacefaring race, they communicate telepathically and verbally. Honor and duty to one's pride and the high priestess are hallmarks of their culture. The Vongjars serve the alliance as warriors and priests. Vongjars warriors wear blood-red chest plates that have glowing orange runes near their shoulders while the other priests wear white hooded robes that have blue runes near their shoulders. Xeenci ("Keen-See")- Non-corporal beings that appear as light energy. They exist to save life. Xeenci live symbiotically with a host. Once bonded, the new being can release it's powers in the physical realm, including the ability to heal, manipulate energy, and communicate telepathically. Hytan ("High-tan")- Reminiscent of giant muscle-bound werewolves. They have blood-red eyes, short hair, and a mottled muzzle. They are taller than the Vongjars; male hytans are typically eight and a half feet, while females range from six to seven feet tall. The Hytans are a spacefaring race that communicate verbally. One of the newest alien races to join the alliance, Hytans prefer a simple winner-take-all lifestyle. Before they joined the alliance, the hytans were ruled by their strongest person, the alpha.
The Vongjar Alienn race kind of reminds me of the aliens from the movie Earth girls are easy. That might be why I like them so much.

Sorry that this post is so long. I tend to do that when I really enjoyed a book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes to read sci-fi and dystopians.

Rating: For the purpose of this being a blog tour I will have two ratings. My normal rating system and then a rating of 1-5.

My normal rating would be a three. I work with the Michelin star system. You can read more about my regular rating system here.

The other rating I would give this book is 4.5 5 stars. I chose this rating because I feel like there will be another book, or at least I hope there will be. There were a few parts that made me mad or pulled at my heartstrings. I really feel like Allison and Katok should be together.

Author Bio:

I'm the YA Author of Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy & Fantasy novels. Fate of the Stars, my debut young adult sci-fi urban fantasy, was the Second Place winner of the 2016 Pages From The Heart Contest.

I'm excited to announce Fate of the Stars will be available on September 1, 2017!

The action packed pages of my novels are filled with characters who are forced to face fears they never expected. I live in Washington state with my amazing husband and five fantastic kids and work full time in sales, writing in all my spare time.

Disclaimer: I got this book from Xpresso Books. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this book. I didn't get the link to the giveaway or I would have it posted as well. If you guys would like to enter then I suggest going to one of the other blogs during the tour and entering the giveaway there.