Blog Tour: The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott

Author: Jason Mott
Publisher: Harlequin ( Mira)
Date of publication: July 2015

On the heels of his critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling debut novel, The Returned, Jason Mott delivers a spellbinding tale of love and sacrifice

On an ordinary day, at an air show like that in any small town across the country, a plane crashes into a crowd of spectators. After the dust clears, a thirteen-year-old girl named Ava is found huddled beneath a pocket of rubble with her best friend, Wash. He is injured and bleeding, and when Ava places her hands over him, his wounds disappear.

Ava has an unusual gift: she can heal others of their physical ailments. Until the air show tragedy, her gift was a secret. Now the whole world knows, and suddenly people from all over the globe begin flocking to her small town, looking for healing and eager to catch a glimpse of The Miracle Child. But Ava’s unique ability comes at a great cost, and as she grows weaker with each healing, she soon finds herself having to decide just how much she’s willing to give up in order to save the ones she loves most.

Elegantly written, deeply intimate and emotionally astute, The Wonder of All Things is an unforgettable story and a poignant reminder of life’s extraordinary gifts.

After loving The Returned, I was hoping that I would like The Wonder of All Things equally. Sadly, I was disappointed and it ended up being a DNF for me.  I just had a hard time getting into the book.  I think it ended up being the premise of the story.  I found myself getting mad at the reaction of the public once Ava's gift is made known.  I do think that this is a book that will make you think.  Should a person with a gift like this be obligated to share it with the world?  My personal opinion is no.  The child is 13 and healing people clearly makes her sick. What right does anyone have to ask the child to heal them?  To me, they have none. So, in the end, I found I couldn't finish the book.  But that is on me.   I think I may be in the minority on this one.  Check out what others in the tour are saying and try it out for yourself.  

About Jason Mott

JASON MOTT holds a BA in fiction and an MFA in poetry both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and is the author of two poetry collections. His writing has appeared in numerous literary journals, and he was nominated for the 2009 Pushcart Prize. In addition to the rare achievement of receiving starred reviews from all four of the top publishing industry magazines—Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews—The Returned was named a “People Pick” by People magazine, and was featured in Essence, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, among others.

 Mott also appeared on numerous broadcast programs including NPR’s All Things Considered and Tell Me More, The Travis Smiley Show, the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Radio Show and many local television shows across the U.S. Mott lives in North Carolina.

Connect with Jason

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Jason Mott’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, July 27th: Jenn’s Bookshelves

Tuesday, July 28th: A Bookish Way of Life

Wednesday, July 29th: Dreams, Etc.

Thursday, July 30th: Kritter’s Ramblings

Friday, July 31st: Sara’s Organized Chaos

Monday, August 3rd: Sweet Southern Home

Tuesday, August 4th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Wednesday, August 5th: Laura’s Reviews

Thursday, August 6th: Bibliophiliac

Monday, August 10th: Bewitched Bookworms

Tuesday, August 11th: Mom’s Small Victories

Wednesday, August 12th: A Night’s Dream of Books

Friday, August 14th: A Bookworm’s World

Monday, August 17th: Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, August 18th: The Book Wheel

Friday, August 21st: From the TBR Pile

Monday, August 24th: Broken Teepee

Tuesday, August 25th: Patricia’s Wisdom

Wednesday, August 26th: 5 Minutes for Books

Date TBD: Books a la Mode – author guest post

Review & Giveaway: The Returned by Jason Mott

 Giveaway Details:  Want to win a copy?  Just fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter. (US & Canada only)  The  winner will be chosen on 9/3/2013. Good luck!

Author: Jason Mott
Publisher: Mira (Harlequin)
Date of publication: August 2013

Harold and Lucille Hargrave's lives have been both joyful and sorrowful in the decades since their only son, Jacob, died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. In their old age they've settled comfortably into life without him, their wounds tempered through the grace of time ... Until one day Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep—flesh and blood, their sweet, precocious child, still eight years old.

All over the world people's loved ones are returning from beyond. No one knows how or why this is happening, whether it's a miracle or a sign of the end. Not even Harold and Lucille can agree on whether the boy is real or a wondrous imitation, but one thing they know for sure: he's their son. As chaos erupts around the globe, the newly reunited Hargrave family finds itself at the center of a community on the brink of collapse, forced to navigate a mysterious new reality and a conflict that threatens to unravel the very meaning of what it is to be human.

The Returned is a beautifully written debut novel by Jason Mott.  It's an interesting look into what would happen if the dead started coming back.  This isn't your typical zombie story.  The people don't want to eat you.  They just appear one day having no idea how they got there or what happened to them after they died.  Most people come back in far away places.  The Returned focuses on the impact of  the phenomenon and how it affects one town and one family.  Sprinkled throughout the book are hints as to how the rest of the world is dealing as well.

For Harold and Lucille, they find that the return of their 8 year old son (who died in 1966) isn't all its cracked up to be.  They both have very different initial reactions.  Lucille is thrilled, but Harold is wary and doesn't believe it is his son.  Despite this, Harold chooses to stay with Jacob when he is put into the containment camp. The scenes in the containment camp reminded me of the horror stories we heard about the shelters during Hurricane Katrina. Being over run with people, no space, running water, or sanitary conditions. Not a situation I would wish on anyone.  I don't want to give too much away, because it would spoil the story. For me the ending was very bittersweet. 

The unique thing about the book is that no one ever figures out how or why the people came back. At least, the reader is never told. For me, that wasn't really the point of the book.  The book is more about deciding if you would want that second chance. If you got it, what would you do with it?  Sometimes, I think about having one more day with a lost loved one.  But, would that ultimately cause me more grief once they left me again? I think this is going to be one of those books that will stick with me for a long time to come.  I definitely recommend trying it out.

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Did you know that the book is being turned into a series for TV?  It is called Resurrection. How cool is that to have your debut made into a TV show?  Check out the trailer below:


About the author:

Jason Mott lives in southeastern North Carolina. He has a BFA in Fiction and an MFA in Poetry, both from

the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His poetry and fiction has appeared in various journals such as Prick of the Spindle, The Thomas Wolfe Review, The Kakalak Anthology of Carolina Poets, Measure and Chautauqua. He was nominated for a 2009 Pushcart Prize award and Entertainment Weekly listed him as one of their 10 “New Hollywood: Next Wave” people to watch.

He is the author of two poetry collections: We Call This Thing Between Us Love and “…hide behind me…” The Returned is his first novel.

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