Top 3 Favorite Aether Gifts (by special guest Jamie Foley!)

We're thrilled to welcome Jamie Foley back to Lands Uncharted today as part of the blog tour celebrating the release of Arbiter, the second book in her Sentinel series! Jamie did a fun interview with us back in February (which you can find here), and I reviewed the first two books in her series, Viper and Sentinel, here.

Today, Jamie is stopping by to share her top 3 favorite aether gifts. What are aether gifts, you may wonder? A super cool concept from her series! I realize that's still not very helpful, so luckily she took the time to provide some definitions and a lovely graphic :)


AETHER The energy source for spiritual gifts. It is generated by one’s soul and is invisible, but can be sensed by aethryn. Depending on one’s gift, it might be detected in the form of a color, a scent, a taste, or otherwise.

ARBITER A common spiritual gift that can transfer thoughts and memories from one mind to another.

EXORCIST A rare spiritual gift that can siphon another’s aether. A slang term for an exorcist is ‘vampire.’

HEALER A somewhat rare spiritual gift that can detect injury and fuse torn flesh together. Master healers can learn to cure certain illnesses.

SAGE A very rare spiritual gift that allows the user to see possible futures.

SENTINEL A common spiritual gift that can release aether in powerful waves or compact strikes.

SIFTER A rare spiritual gift that can sense aether from great distances and conceal its own aether signature.

VALNAH A common spiritual gift that can influence the feelings and emotions of others. Means ‘song of courage’ in the Ancient language.

VANGUARD A common spiritual gift that can create walls of aether, varying in strength depending on the user’s skill.

WEAVER A rare spiritual gift that can bind aether into physical objects. Bound aether diminishes very slowly over time.

Awesome, right? So now that you know about the different aether gifts, here are Jamie's top 3!


Humans in The Sentinel Trilogy can't choose their own gift--they're born with one that they have a natural affinity for. But anyone can learn the four most common gifts--sentinel, vanguard, arbiter, and valnah--with enough time and dedication. Just like I could learn to paint and play the piano, but really, I'm only going to be best with the skills God gave me from birth.

But if I could choose my own aether gift... well... I'd be an exorcist. Maybe the idea of having tons of aether goes along with me being an adrenaline junkie or a pyro. What? I'm a totally normal, sane person. >:3

Exorcists have to be really skilled, though, to get in a close-combat situation to be able to drain their opponent. So my second choice would have to be sentinel. Blasting things with waves of energy that I can fling around with my mind? Yes, please.

And third... hmm... that's a hard choice. If I were a sifter, I'd always know where my kids were. If I were an arbiter, I'd always know when they were lying. And if I were a valnah, I could always make them feel better.

But I'll have to go with vanguard. Maybe I could prevent a car wreck with the soft side of a vanguard wall, or have a magical extra counter space in my kitchen. The possibilities are endless!


Now I'm wondering which ones I would pick...so many good choices! Want to know more? Here's the blurb for Arbiter, Jamie's latest release:

Archangels return to Alani, creating a new generation of Serrans… for a price.

Jet Valinor can’t keep his secrets from Darien any longer. Sorvashti seeks revenge against her husband’s killer—a debt that can only be paid in blood.

The Lynx want their base back. The Serrans will fetch a good price for Zekk Sorrowsong, or make excellent slaves… if he can capture them before they’re betrayed from within.


I got to read an advance copy of Arbiter and it's SO good! The action starts right on the first page, and all the new information and plot twists kept me guessing throughout. If you like fantasy with phenomenal world-building and complex characters, definitely check out this series! You can find out more about the trilogy and purchase links here.


And here's a little more about the author:

YA fantasy author Jamie Foley loves strategy games, home-grown berries, and Texas winters. She’s terrified of plot holes and red wasps.

Her husband is her manly cowboy astronaut muse. They live between Austin, TX and their family cattle ranch, where their hyperactive spawnling and wolfpack can run free.

You can learn more about Jamie at her website, jamiesfoley.com, or by connecting with her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

 


 Thank you so much for visiting today, Jamie!! Today is the last day of the Arbiter blog tour giveaway! Here's the link for the entry form: https://goo.gl/forms/t92uVgb7qSKAz6Ud2