If you're curious and you know it, read a book... :-D Ok, it's not an original line, but hey, I'm not the writer with a creative mind, that's CATHY CLAMP, today's wonderful guest on Literaria. Please, welcome her as she deserves... with cupcakes and a curious mind.
Mating for Life . . . Or Death
Cathy Clamp
GUEST POST
My new novel, FORBIDDEN, hit the shelves in
August and one of the issues in the book is mating among
shapeshifters---specifically werewolves. My shapeshifters are known as the
Sazi, and they come in pretty much all predatory species. Wolves share the
planet with great cats, bears, snakes, lizards and raptor birds. While many
animal species mate for life, humans don’t. Part of being a magical
shapeshifter is taking on the traits of the animal. But not all animals follow
“the rules”, so the Sazi don’t either.
Many humans who lose a spouse pine away
until they die. They simply cannot live without their mate and die of a broken
heart. The Sazi reality takes that one step further. With great magic comes
great power . . . and great depression. When mating takes on a magical edge,
the problems do too. Being cut off from the magic of the mating can cause
physical and mental issues. Get cut off for too long and you can literally go
insane or even pine to death.
What happens in FORBIDDEN is that our hero,
Alek, becomes mated to the heroine, Claire. Unfortunately, it’s not a double
mating, and Claire doesn’t feel the same. Oh, she likes him well enough, and could potentially come to love him. But
it’s not the instant infatuation that Alek falls into. One he can’t come out
of.
Ever. He has to have her, be with her. If
he can’t . . . he’ll die from loneliness.
Magical healers can help if they catch a
single-sided mating quick enough. They can shut down the tie before it becomes
too strong and threatens a person’s sanity. A healer in FORBIDDEN puts a
temporary magical block between Alek and Claire so they can function (and they have to function to survive the plot).
But it’s hard on Alek. Depression looms constantly at the edge of his mind. He
can’t understand why a woman he just met is affecting him so strongly and why
he can’t get through the pain. Even worse, he knows Claire doesn’t love him in
return. How can he possibly overcome that?
And Claire? She feels horrible guilt at
Alek’s pain. But she can’t magically create love and anything else would be a
lie that she couldn’t live with. She has to work with him and somehow balance
the pain she knows she’s inflicting.
How do they get through it? Pick up a copy
of FORBIDDEN and find out. You won’t be sorry... :)
I thought it was a very interesting issue in the plot,
so I'm eager to find out how it's resolved :o)
Would you like to know what I thought?
A gripping
combination of paranormal intrigue, clever worldbuilding, moving characters,
and hot action with a pinch of mouthwatering romance.
I was happy
to encounter action from the start, heavily laden with mystery that never slows
down. The detailed paranormal hierarchy and history of the shapeshifters are
seamlessly interwoven as the plot advances. I really liked to know how Claire's
magic works, what she can smell due to her wolf nature or the things that
happened during and after the plague that affected her kin so appallingly.
However, that
was not the only remarkable feature of the story. The many characters are
relatable, interesting, they all interact wonderfully to enliven the mysterious
plot that threatens Claire from the first moment she sets foot, not too softly,
in town with a mission that rubs everybody the wrong way. Except Alek, who will
turn to mean a lot to her in a very unexpected twist.
To my
surprise, Claire's stay in town is marked with not only undercover
investigation and lots of characters, but a huge dose of violence. Some of the
traditions there seem gruesome and unjust. Of course, that served to have me
glued to everything that was happening to her and around her.
I was really
into the events while the mystery surrounding some kids and the mixed
creatures-population took place. The only thing that bothered me somewhat was
that a bit ugly truth is revealed in a very anticlimactic way, only to reveal
it again as a dramatic surprise in a dialogue between Alek, Claire and another
cat character. It had lost its edge by then, I'm afraid.
Throughout
the story, there is a vibrant physical attraction between the two
wolf-shifters, Alek and Claire, that was vividly described. Nice. And it's
appealing on several levels, including a beautiful, poignant emotional scene linked
to mating rituals and repercussions.
The final one
hundred pages almost shake with the intensity of the discoveries, the magic,
the violence and the wild emotions. I was as exhausted at the end as the
characters. They all had to fight and bleed to come out alive of the veritable
avalanche of terrible things that fell down on them.
Forbidden
really convinced me in terms of plot, characterization and even quasi-romance.
The soft cliffhanger is just enough encouragement to read the next adventure.
USA Today bestselling author Cathy Clamp
returns to the adventures of the Sazi
returns to the adventures of the Sazi
FORBIDDEN
Cathy Clamp
Urban fantasy authors Cathy Clamp and C.T. Admas won countless fans with their exciting and romantic tales of the shapeshifting Sazi. Now Cathy Clamp returns to the world of Hunter’s Moon with FORBIDDEN (Tor Trade Paperback Original; $14.99; On-sale: August 11, 2015), a high tension urban fantasy featuring shapeshifters, murder, and romance.
Ten years have passed since the war that destroyed the Sazi Council and inflicted a horrible "cure" on thousands of Sazi, robbing them of their ability to shapeshift. In the isolated small town of Luna Lake Sazi refugees have had a chance to grow up and live in peace – but now Sazi children are being kidnapped. Claire, a red wolf shifter, is sent to investigate and meets Alek, a wolf shifter adopted by a parliament of Owls in defiance of Sazi tradition. Sparks fly between them, but the desperate race to find the missing children forces them to set aside their mutual attraction and focus on the future of their people.
Return to the Sazi universe with Cathy Clamp in this tightly-paced, high-tension urban fantasy thriller. This new book is a must-read for fans of the series, but also a perfect intro for new readers. And Library Journal points out, “Its multiple YA characters made this a solid choice for crossover teen readers.” FORBIDDEN is the urban fantasy choice of the summer for readers looking for lots of action and a little romance.
"Immersive shapeshifter fiction with plenty of action, a wealth of
detail, and supernatural features that are just plain cool.
I wish I'd thought of some of this stuff."
—Jim Butcher, New York Times bestselling author, on Cold Moon Rising
"Adams and Clamp just keep getting better and better.... Whether you like urban fantasy or paranormal romance, this is a series worth picking up."
—SF Site on Howling Moon
"Adams and Clamp are adept at writing intensely sensuous, hot lovemaking scenes, but where they really shine is in the creation of an unforgettable world.
Laurel K. Hamilton readers will enjoy this edgy world."
—Booklist on Moon's Web
ABOUT THE MASTERMIND
CATHY CLAMP has written paranormal romance and urban fantasy in partnership with C.T. Adams. Clamp and Adams hit the USA Today bestseller list with their Sazi and Thrall series. They are also the authors of the Blood Singer series, published under the name Cat Adams.
Forbidden is Cathy Clamp's first solo novel. It returns to the world launched in Hunter's Moon. You can visit her online at http://www.ciecatrunpubs.com/.
Thank you for your time and for writing such compelling stories! Book buddies, don't forget to have a look at her books, they're worth it :o)
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