Oath of Servitude by C.E. Wilson : Review and Interview!
October 14, 2012/
ISBN: 978-0-9883055-0-2
This is the story of Teague and Cailin, two teenagers who have been brought together by fate. Teague, a human, struggles to come to terms with the consequences of a recent accident that has destroyed the happy life that he had once enjoyed. Cailin, a pixi, is trying to stay true to herself while fighting against forces beyond her control that have exiled her from her home into this strange world of humans. She fears the darkness. He cannot escape it. But when the two of them are thrown together, they begin to discover the light inside of themselves.
Every family has their secrets – some, more than others.
Cailin; a young pixi must serve her punishment in the home of two humans after failing to conform to the ways of her kind and for asking too many questions. Sent to help Teague, the son of Owen – as their friendship grows, her loyalties will be tried, and all she holds dear will be held to question.
Teague – crippled from a recent accident while playing baseball has slipped into the life of an alcoholic, filled with anger and helplessness, he must come to accept the help and company of Cailin to be lost to the darkness of his own mind.
Secrets lurk in every shadow, and hide behind every smile. Prices must be paid, and the Darkness awaits for those who fail to please the Portune.
C.E. Wilson’s début novel, Oath of Servitude forays into the mostly untraversed land of Pixie (or, Pixi). Following the tale of Cailin, as she is punished and sent into the house of Owen and Teague – two humans, as she learns the price of asking questions. Oath of Servitude shows families in the midst of emotional trials, the bonds and strength of friendship and family.
Wilson does a wonderful job, delving into the intrigue and rigidity of Pixi society. Her writing style and descriptions draw the reader into the story and keeps them flipping pages. While the friendship between Teague and Cailin felt rushed, and a bit forced at the beginning, that’s quickly resolved and flows into something that reads more naturally. Hinting at secrets and stories untold, Oath of Servitude is an enjoyable read which fans of young adult fiction will enjoy.
Read below for my interview with the author of Oath of Servitude, C.E. Wilson!
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Interview with C.E. Wilson!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Sure! My name is C.E. Wilson, I am 29 years old and I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with my husband, my two dogs and my two cats. I love reading, but one of my favorite things to do is post short stories on DeviantArt that fall into a genre known as GT, which refers to the fact that there is ‘giant’ character and/or a ‘tiny’ character. I also love to watch shows like Gossip Girl and 90210 during my free time. It is a guilty pleasure to say the least.
What would you like your readers to know about this book or you in general?
Oath of Servitude is the first book that I have published and I had a lot of fun writing it. I like to write about characters that I think readers can relate to and enjoy. I write stories like this because I’ve always been a huge fan of size differences between characters like in The Borrowers by Mary Norton and The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks, and I wanted to see if this type of genre could be enjoyed by modern Young Adult readers. I am always experimenting with new ways to write and Oath of Servitude was the first story that I really believed could be enjoyed by the mainstream YA audience. It was a lot of fun to write and I cannot wait to publish the sequel Permanent Shadows so that I can talk more about the pixi world and how it relates to humans.
Why Pixis? In YA we tend to see a lot of fairies, angels and such like that, but from what I’ve noticed Pixis are a largely unexplored race. What inspired you to write about them?
Well, you kind of answered it. Like you said, there are a lot of books that talk about fairies, fae, angels and what have you, but pixies are often left out of the mix. There are some great books out there that talk about pixies, but they seem to be few and far between. I admit to changing the spelling from the common pixie to ‘pixi’ to create even more of a separation. I can’t speak for everyone, but the less familiar I am with something, the more likely it is that I will be able to let my imagination roam free, an important consideration when reading a fantasy book.
The Darkness — it’s referred to all throughout the book, is that something you’re going to explore more in future books?
Yes, there is definitely going to be more about The Darkness in Permanent Shadows, the sequel to Oath of Servitude. The Darkness is a place that many pixis know they do not want to go, but few of them know (or care to know) what it actually is. Nolkrin and Owen have more knowledge of it than most, and that is something that they will discuss in the next book.
How many books can we look forward to seeing in The Punishment Sequence?
I have to say that I am currently planning on four. I have the second book just about ready for editing and the first draft of the third book is about halfway written. I think that I can get through everything that I want in four books but I don’t want to commit to that right now.
Which of your characters would you like to meet in person? Or, are there any you would never want to meet?
I would love to meet Owen in person because I think that he has the most secrets. In Oath of Servitude there are a lot of hints that Owen has a great understanding of not only the human world, but also of the pixi world and how the two coincide. This becomes more obvious to Cailin and Teague in Permanent Shadows, and I think it would be great to sit down with him and try to learn how these two very different worlds are able to exist in isolation and how he straddles the line between the two of them.
Which do you prefer, ebooks or printed?
When the Kindle first came out, I was skeptical. I didn’t that I could ever get used to not holding a book. But now…heh…let’s just say that I find regular books to be the awkward thing now. That’s not to say that I don’t love my printed books, I could never get rid of them. Plus I can only read manga as a printed book. I’ve tried reading manga on my Kindle, it just didn’t work. Other than that, the convenience of ebooks has completely won me over.
What inspired you to start writing? Are there any authors that you get inspiration from?
Books themselves were always my greatest inspiration to write. Some people love to listen to music and others love to watch TV, but I have always been a huge fan of reading. I loved that authors could sit down and create these interesting worlds using only their imagination and their words to paint the pictures. Since I was little I have been doing this, writing stories and reading them to whoever would listen to me.
Lynne Reid Banks, RJ Anderson, Charles de Lint and Mary Norton are all authors who have inspired me to keep writing. They create wonderful worlds populated with races that are much smaller than humans, which is the type of writing that I enjoy most. I don’t want people to think that this size difference is some type of gimmick though. I think that if people take the time they will realize that size is nothing more than another obstacle that characters may face in a paranormal story. These authors inspire me to keep writing and keep bringing these types of friendships/relationships to the Young Adult world.
Are you working on anything new? Can you give us a bit of a preview? ;)
Yes! I am working on a standalone book right now called The Promise. The main character is a bi-racial girl named Lily and the story begins with her sitting in a doctor’s office as her boyfriend proposes to her. It would be such a strange and beautiful scene but Lily is worried about what is happening to her. She is shrinking and her doctor cannot begin to explain why. No one knows how long she will continue to shrink or how small she will get. The Promise is a book that will talk about the hardships that Lily and her husband Erik face as her height continues to dwindle and the complications that they must deal with to keep her a secret from the rest of the world.
Thank you! I look forward to your responses… I appreciate it!
Thank you as well! I’m happy to answer them!
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I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rebecca created The Arched Doorway back in 2011 as an outlet for her thoughts on the books she reads. She spends her time as a freelance editor and reviewer. Her first anthology, Neverland's Library, came out in 2014 from Ragnarok Publications. Rebecca primarily reads historical and epic fantasy novels, such as those by Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Christian Cameron and Terry Brooks. She lives in Toronto, ON with her two snakes and hundreds of books.
One Comment
Shannon Jones
Sounds intriguing! I may have to get a copy of this. :)