Blog Tour {Review & Giveaway}—Destiny Gift by Juliana Haygert

Stopping by The LUV'NV today is the Destiny Gift  blog tour, organized by Xpresso Book Tours.
We got the pleasure to read and review this fabulous New Adult PNR, and you can enter to win a print or eBook copy,
as well as a few other books by fantastic authors!

Destiny Gift

by Juliana Haygert

Book #1 of the Everlast series

Publication: April 5th 2013 by Juliana Haygert
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance | Urban Fantasy

Amazon B & N Goodreads

Thirty years in the future, a sinister New York City exists in permanent darkness.

A student at the secured NYU, nineteen-year-old Nadine has visions of Victor Gianni, an imaginary guy she has real feelings for. Afraid of being truly insane, she explains the visions away as simple daydreams, but she can no longer deny them when she bumps into Victor in real life. But this Victor doesn’t know her and turns her away. After the encounter, Nadine’s visions change to those of eerie fates, gods she’s never heard of, demons with sharp claws they are not too timid to use ... and instructions.

To discover if she’s losing her mind, Nadine follows the vague directions—with the real, rude and reluctant Victor—leading to a man who knows it all: Nadine can restore an ancient creed by unveiling the clues on her visions and bring sunlight and peace to the world again. But that’s only if the demons and the other evil forces behind the darkness don’t stop her first.

Destiny Gift  is a unique blend of mythology and the paranormal in a post-apocalyptic setting. Bombings, targeted, extreme violence, and natural disasters occur almost every day around the world. From the lack of sun, agriculture suffers, thus so does the global market along with the stability of countries and households. And there are undocumented gigantic bats preying on people in the night.

When Nadine, an NYU student who's trying to secure the future of her family, meets the man of her literal dreams, she begins to realize her dreams are more like visions. Whether they're of the past or the future, no one knows. I certainly didn't, and the mystery only made the discovery of the answer more fun. I did a little giddy jig in my seat when I learned what this story revolved around. Although I figured out most of the twists after that, Juliana Haygert did a wonderful job with the suspense throughout the book. She offered a glimpse at the overall puzzle, but each piece only steadily became clearer with Nadine's visions, actions, and abilities, as well as others'.

Victor is not the sweet, adoring man she has come to know in Nadine's dreams, and there's also much more than meets the eye to the delicious Micah, the stranger who seems to pop up at the most opportune times. I really liked how the characters' actions played off each other's, making events seem like either fate or an intervention of free will. You don't really know, and that was the beauty of it.

While there is a love triangle, it's very subtle. Romance does not drive nor dominate the plot, which I appreciated and is why I would consider this book more of an Urban Fantasy than a PNR. Yet, the connection and attraction definitely burns between the characters. I can say who my choice would be—can't we all with love triangles, most of the time?—but for once, I think the obvious choice was the point because of what that would mean. Like it will either be the most painful or emotionally moving. I'm kind of scared! LOL. But also I'm hopeful and excited to see where things lead and how it will get there—if the characters will make the right choice or be true to form and continue to make mistakes.

This type of anticipation, of wanting to know a person's journey, is what set this book apart from other PNR/UF-book-ones, for me. Even though there's a cliffhanger and not all questions on the world dynamics are answered, I don't care. I don't think all the info matters in the grand scheme of things. No, that's not true. They matter, greatly, but aren't the point and might only deter the characters and bloat the plot, depending upon delivery. Juliana Haygert gave just enough to sate my curiosity while pique it even more. She made me want to invest in the characters, their growth and lives, not just look forward to the end result.

Vivid and compelling, Destiny Gift  is a great start to a series. I can't wait to read the next book and would recommend this one to people looking for fantasy that's a bit more contemporary.

eARC provided by Juliana Haygert via Xpresso Books Tours.
Thank you!

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Juliana Haygert

Her Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

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Signed paperback of Destiny Gift
eBook copy of Destiny Gift
eBook of State of Emergency  by Summer Lane
Signed paperback of The Only Exception  by Magan Vernon
Signed paperback of The Crimson Hunt  by Victoria H. Smith
$25 Amazon or B&N gift card
** Note: Paperback copies US only. eBooks and gift card open internationally. **

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Destiny Gift  Tour Schedule