Review: Lustre

Title: Lustre (A Witchlight novela)
Author: Jaime Munn
Page Count: 196
My Rating: 4 TURTLES: A great read, I definitely recommend.
Amazon
 
Review:

Nilla Hayes is still trying to get over her werewolf ex-girlfriend when an angel comes to call on her witchy services to track down a dream thief. Despite her reluctance to work for an angelic being – they’re usually bad news – she accepts and tracks the thief to the small town of Whisper Falls. Nilla quickly realizes her target is much more dangerous than she originally thought and has to catch him before it’s too late.

This was a really fun and unexpected read!

I loved Nilla’s dry sense of humor and her wry and conversational narrating voice. The strong, humorous sense of voice was one of my favorite things about this story. It is so hard to craft and keep consistent, but when it’s done well it can make even slow points in a plot engaging and interesting. (Some of my favorite authors like Rick Riordan and Eoin Colfer have earned that spot because of this narration style). Since Lustre is so short, there isn’t much of a lull in the action, so the combo of voice and snappy plot made it a breeze to read!

In the short span of the book we are introduced to a very complex urban fantasy world. While what is in the plot is only the tip of the iceberg, we get glimpses of what lays beneath the water and I’d be excited to see what more we’d learn in the future book set in this world. Having said that, I was a little confused because I don’t think we ever learn where on Earth Nilla is. We know she lives in a city and travels to a small town called Whisper Falls a ways outside the city, but we never learn which city it’s in, or even what country it’s in. Just saying what city it is, or making up a fictional city in a real country, would have grounded the story so much more. How I envision the surroundings is going to change so much depending where in the world, or where in a country, it is and it is an easy enough detail to through in.

I don’t want to give anything away, but I love the unexpected turns the story and characters take. Everything is much more complicated and personal than it first appears and it raises the stakes and makes the result all the more gratifying.

I definitely recommend you check out Lustre! Fans of Urban Fantasy or TV shows like Supernatural or Grimm should especially consider putting it on your TBR lists! 

Disclosure: this post contains links to an affiliate program (Amazon), for which I receive a few cents if you make purchases. 

Review: The Blood of Kings

Title: The Blood of Kings (Phoebe Pope #2)
Author: Nya Jade
Page Count: 374
My Rating: 4.5 TURTLES: A really great read, I highly recommend!
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review
Amazon

Description:
The thrilling, un-put-downable sequel to The Year of Four. According to the press, Phoebe Pope and teen movie star Colten Chase are no longer an item—which is just how the happy new couple like it. And yet there’s trouble in paradise . . . Phoebe is haunted by dreams that show her things she can’t possibly know about—including a pact between Colten and a wanted assassin. In the daylight, she struggles to keep a newly emerging power hidden, even as her hands itch to wield it. Meanwhile, in the wake of their escape from a Vigo crèche, Phoebe and her fellow Hyphas study under lock and key at the Campus Below. As the foursome wait to see who among them will fulfill the prophecy, someone dear to Phoebe is kidnapped by a powerful Vigo determined to use her to spy on the Shaper royalty. When the Hyphas are called to the Royal Court, Phoebe refuses to heed warnings of imminent danger for she will do whatever it takes to rescue her loved one. But once at court, nothing is as it first appears. A sinister force controls some royals, while others whisper behind closed doors about forbidden alliances. And as Phoebe draws on her courage to complete the task set by her enemy, she makes a startling discovery—one that upends her father’s memory. With dangerous conspiracies surfacing, Phoebe must uncover what the Royal Shapers really want from her, and decide whether there’s room for Colten in her unraveling life.

Review:

This was a super action-packed, exciting sequel to The Year of Four. We learn so much more about the magic of Phoebe's world, who she is, and the politics of her world, but also leaves us with as many questions as it answers! I guess I'll just have to wait until book three!

The view of The Blood of Kings expands way out, giving a much wider range of the world and history of the Shapers and the Vigos. Just like the first book, I was impressed with the world building in this book, especially since there is so much more of it. I also loved seeing how the Hyphas powers started to develop and learning more about what Vigos are and what they can do. The Blood of Kings' plot is filled with twists, turns and shocks that I did not see coming at all - some exciting, and some devastating.

This definitely isn't a sequel that you can just pick up without having read the first book already. If you haven't read The Year of Four yet though, you can read my review. This series is definitely worth your time and I highly recommend you check it out





Disclosure: this post contains links to an affiliate program (Amazon), for which I receive a few cents if you make purchases.

Cover Reveal: Cradled

Cradled
Christina Bauer
(Beholder #4.5)
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: July 31st 2018
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

An Epilogue Novella
At last, Elea and Rowan are settling in to their new lives. Trouble is, Rowan is spending a lot of time cleaning up messes from his childhood. And considering the nightmare that was his mother, those are some ugly messes indeed. In fact, the experience is enough to make Rowan vow that he never wants children of his own.
Oops.
BEHOLDER
Cursed
Concealed
Cherished
Crowned
Cradled

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Author Bio:
Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse School with BA's in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates

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Blog Tour Stop: Deadly to Love Guest Post

Title: Deadly to Love (Elemental Killers #1)

Author: Mia Hoddell

ASIN: B00BDQ3QGA

ISBN: 9781291319170

Genre: YA/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Romance

Description

There is a love that is so dangerous, so powerful, so intoxicating that it embraces your heart and smothers your mind until it leaves you defenceless.

Serena knew that but still, it didn't stop her. His name was Kai. He was the most beautiful, irresistible man she had ever encountered. Their attraction was too compelling to fight and she knew she would go to the end of the world beside him. That is love.

However behind the allure was hidden a deadly secret – a secret that threatened her fragile life... But secrets best left unsaid never remain hidden forever. When Kai reveals his true identity, she is exposed to a frightening world she had no idea existed. Controlled by powerful Elemental forces her life is placed in mortal danger.

Unbeknown to them, their lives have been entwined from the beginning and it leads her to discover an even greater secret about who she really is. As the pieces begin to unravel and death becomes a reality, Serena is forced to decide what is more important...her love or life.

Buy Links:  

Amazon

Amazon.co.uk

Paperback (Lulu) and will be available on Amazon soon

About the Author

Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading and her preferred genre is Young Adult, Paranormal Romance. Before 2009, Mia wouldn't even pick up a book and was more interested in sports. However she finally found some novels that captured her interest and developed a love of both reading and writing. Mia began with poems and after getting two published in separate anthologies she moved on to short stories. Although she enjoyed this, Mia found she had too much to tell with too little space, so later on she created her first series The Wanderer Trilogy and from there other ideas have emerged which she hopes to turn into novels as well. Elemental Killers is her second series and book two will be out soon.

Author Links

Blog: http://miahoddell.blogspot.com

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mia-Hoddell-Author/421368247889610?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiaHoddell

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/miahoddell

Meet The Elementals
Excerpt

The Elementals

The Elementals - Beautiful, Majestic and Deadly...
Fire – A raging inferno annihilating and consuming. Once set free it is a fearsome force; destructive, passionate and always hungry. Yet when given direction it’s infinitely worse.
Water – A peaceful state of tranquillity that calms and soothes. Yet once disturbed it is an unpredictable tempest; impulsive, merciless and erratic with a judgement that cannot be moved.
Air – An impassive, wild force that cannot be contained. Once let loose it delights in the mayhem; chaotic, frantic and cruel it creates a substantial power when enraged.
Earth – A reasonable and rational mind but has eternal strength and endurance. When agitated it creates a superior force; loathsome, devastating and unruly, with carefully considered strikes that do most harm.
The world cannot survive without these creatures but what happens when the world can no longer survive with them either?

Deadly to Love (Elemental Killers #1) ~ Page 3

***

When writing Deadly to Love I wanted the protagonists to be human as originally this book was going to be a YA Romance. However when I discovered the Elementals through a little research, I knew instantly that they would be the antagonists and the book took a very different turn.

I found out that these creatures were related to heavenly powers, especially the arch angels but I wanted to break these ties. I’m going through an angel faze with the novels I am reading but I didn’t want to include them in Deadly to Love as it would limit the power of The Elementals and this is something I didn’t want.

I wanted the Elementals in my book to be in control of themselves and have a mind of their own so I could hopefully create a believable antagonist. For me if I kept the heavenly ties in it didn’t sound plausible for two reasons because, one; heaven is meant to be good and sin free which would lead to complications and two; they would be answering to a hierarchy which would limit their freedom.

Once I had gathered the basic facts and research I wanted, I started to mould them into a new species of their own. I developed their backstory first so I could give them a motive to wreak havoc and become the villains. After this, I started to develop their looks and powers. I envisioned the Elementals in Deadly to Love as women mainly but this may change in the sequel (you’ll have to wait to find out).

Anyway, when developing their looks, I used the colours which are associated with the elements:

·       Orange – Fire

·       Blue – Water

·       Purple – Air

·       Green – Earth

I wanted them to look unassuming and graceful seeing as they are essentially spirits so I tried to describe them as light and mystical, using the effect of women underwater for inspiration as to how they would move and how aspects of them like their hair would react.  Once I had all of this down in a character profile I could begin to write the book.

This is the general process I went through to create The Elementals but I have tried not to give away too many spoilers so I have left a few things out.

 ***

Thank you to Larissa for hosting a stop on the Deadly to Love tour, you have a wonderful blog! I hope anyone who buys Deadly to Love (Elemental Killers #1) enjoys it. Also, make sure to check out the other tour stops found here http://miahoddell.blogspot.co.uk/p/tour-schedule.html

•                1 ebook copy of Deadly to Love  through amazon kindle (INT)

•                Deadly to Love Swag (UK ONLY)

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