The Knowing: A Book Review + Giveaway

The Knowing: A Bulwark Anthology (Book 1) by Brit Lunden

Review by Lauren

Source: book/compensation from author and TCBR; all opinions are my own

Official Summary (add to Goodreads): Bulwark, Georgia, isolated, hidden. Who knows what strange things can happen when the rest of the world can’t see you? JB Stratton is alone in the world, and all he has left are the memories of his beloved Ellie. Dirt poor JB and wealthy Ellie feel an instant connection that is as intense and primal as the blood red earth of their home. Unseen roots connect them, pulling them into an impossible relationship. Will the memories of past lives help or hinder the path of their love? Based on the original novella Bulwark, by Brit Lunden, The Knowing continues the story of a town isolated from the rest of the world where the impossible becomes plausible, and logic is determined by reality.

Review: I have a copy of Bulwark that I need to read, but I feel like I was still able to appreciate The Knowing not having read it yet. I don’t know which characters were introduced in the novella Bulwark, but The Knowing is about JB Stratton and the love of his life, Ellie. I’m assuming the “anthology” in the title is because this novella, and I assume others to come, are little snapshots of people who live in the town of Bulwark, Georgia. The Knowing is titled as an anthology, but it’s one full story. It starts in the “present” so to speak and then it goes back in time to when JB Stratton is a teenager and first meets the new girl in town, Ellie.

Weird things are known to happen in Bulwark, and past JB starts having dreams about himself and Ellie…but it’s the Civil War-era. Obviously the idea is that JB and Ellie are connected, through time and space, and they are meant to be in every lifetime. I don’t know if they’ve had past lives, and that’s what JB is dreaming about or not, but it clearly shows the reader how these two are intertwined.

I was a bit sad that there’s a gap of time in The Knowing where JB and Ellie are separated. It all makes sense in the end, but it’s obvious these two are meant to be and as a reader, you want them together. There were little things that didn’t make a lot of sense to me (mostly in the beginning of the book) and I don’t know if reading Bulwark will help with that or not, but I assume so. However, I don’t think it’s anything big enough to take away from the heart of the story, which is JB and Ellie’s love story. The Knowing is a novella, so it’s definitely quick and easy to get through.

Thank you to The Children’s Book Review (this is not a children’s book though!) and the author, Brit Lunden, for allowing me to dive into the town of Bulwark, Georgia. The Knowing was a touching love story and I’m even more curious about the original novella, Bulwark.

It’s Giveaway Time!

Enter to win a copy of The Knowing by Brit Lunden, and a $50 Amazon gift card!

One (1) winner receives:

An autographed copy of The Knowing

A $50 Amazon Gift Card

Four (4) winners will receive:

An autographed copy of The Knowing

Giveaway begins June 3, 2019, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends July 3, 2019, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Giveaway open to residents of Canada and the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 17 and older.

Brit Lunden is responsible for prize fulfillment.

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If the above doesn’t work, use this link to enter the giveaway!