Literaria: fantasy

Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta fantasy. Mostrar todas las entradas

domingo, 1 de noviembre de 2020

Magical cozy mystery: SPELLBREAKER

Hi, book buddies :-) I have been a fan of this author's books since The Paper Magician. It comes as no surprise that this new story is another favourite of mine! 💛

SPELLBREAKER
by Charlie N. Holmberg 

WHAT IS THIS BEAUTY ABOUT?

A world of enchanted injustice needs a disenchanting woman in the newest fantasy series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.

The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells, and those like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. She always did love the tale of Robin Hood.

Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain. She’ll help Bacchus fix unruly spells around his estate if he doesn’t turn her in. Working together, Elsie’s trust in—and fondness for--the handsome stranger grows. So does her trepidation for the rise in the murders of wizards, and the theft of the spellbooks their bodies leave behind.

For a rogue spellbreaker like Elsie, there’s so much to learn about her powers, her family, the intriguing Bacchus, and the untold dangers shadowing every step of a journey she’s been destined to complete. But will she uncover the mystery before it’s too late to save everything she loves?

MY OPINION

Cozy mystery, magic spells, and quirky romance. Oh, my. This is perfect for fans of The Paper Magician. I am one of them, of course :-D

With an atmosphere touched by Jane Austen, this Victorian mystery is crafted with wit and charm in equal measure.

Elsie Camden is a smart, resourceful orphan working for a stonemason while dabbing in espionage and illegal wizardry. Can you imagine an alternative England where magic is almost monopolized by the aristocracy, mainly in male hands and excruciatingly monitored?

Here is this Robin Hood's helper, all prim and proper, using her clandestine magic to disenchant a world full of injustice and poverty. Mysteries abound on all scales, be they a cursed crop or a murderer after master spells. It's utterly engaging.

I loved the blend of costumbrist society and quaint villages with a woman in pursuit of her roots, social justice and female identity, set in a plutocracy of magic where spells are hoarded for the privileged but are still employed in such practical ways. This world of nineteenth century England echoes with etiquette, chaperones, tea, and carriages, yet is believably woven with a myriad of magic details. I think we are predisposed to believe in an enchanted London, aren’t we?

I adored this tall, talented, vulnerable and brave heroine, so intent on doing the right thing and therefore the ideal character to fall in the middle of this plot of deceit and power. The male counterpart is both arresting on his own and flows beautifully into the events, which may seem scattered at the beginning but emerge as a masterful tapestry in the action-and-magic filled ending.

The resolution is satisfying enough to offer a complex villain and partial enough to open a path towards a broader scope of secrets to be unraveled in the next book. I'm ready for more adventure, more slow-burn yet exciting romance, and a colourful assortment of mysteries to decipher.

Amazon  - Book Depository - Bookbub - Goodreads 
 
ABOUT THE MASTERMIND

Charlie N. Holmberg is the author of the Numina series and the Wall Street Journal bestselling Paper Magician series, which has been optioned by the Walt Disney Company. She is also the author of five stand-alone novels, including Followed by Frost, a 2016 RITA award finalist for Best Young Adult Romance, and The Fifth Doll, winner of the 2018 Whitney for Speculative Fiction. 

Born in Salt Lake City, Charlie was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters who also have boy names. She is a proud BYU alumna, plays the ukulele, and owns too many pairs of glasses. She currently lives with her family in Utah.

Website - Instagram - Facebook - Twitter

💛

Don’t you think it's beautiful? 

💛

martes, 25 de agosto de 2020

Meet the Professor!

Hi, book buddies ☺ I want to tell you about an addictive new series. You won't be able to stop reading once you meet professor Maximus Kane in Blood of Zeus. He's heaven and sin all rolled into one hot man.

http://bloodofzeus.com/

AN ANCIENT GRUDGE.

A FORBIDDEN LOVE.

What is this beauty about?

The only thing worse than being a demon is being a Valari. As an undergraduate at Los Angeles’s Alameda University, Kara Valari can sometimes succeed at forgetting she’s both. Lost between the pages of the classics and tucked into the shadows of lecture halls, she can dodge the paparazzi’s lenses as well as her family’s publicized dramas—not to mention their private expectations. She has one more year to feed her true passions. Then she’ll be expected to fulfill a much darker destiny.

Cursed with inexplicable strength and god-like stature, literature professor Maximus Kane knows all about darkness. Every day he’s reminded of the missteps of his childhood and the devastating consequences they’ve had on those dearest to him. To atone, Maximus spends his nights alone and his days submerged in the quiet life of academia. His existence has become a study in control, and he’s become a master at it—until Kara Valari walks into his toughest course.

Viscerally, Kara’s everything he craves. Logically, she’s everything he rejects. She’s a starlet of privilege. She’s also a student. And after one touch, he can’t deny that she’s awakened something in him that may never go dormant. Nothing about her makes sense, but everything about her feels right. Especially in the deepest strands of his DNA, which are still shadows of mystery to him—a mystery Kara seems determined to uncover.

She’s Hollywood royalty. She’s forbidden fruit. And he’s pretty sure she could be the answer to everything.

MY OPINION

Epic romance! If the cover isn’t enough to tempt you, the forbidden love story inside will surely conquer you.

Luxurious power, endless wealth and notorious family name all compete to bestow a dark legend around Kara Valari. Not even the fires in hell can drag her away from her fascination for literature professor Maximus Kane. A man, but not just a mortal man. And the tragedy is born.

So very exciting!

This is a beautiful romance forged in mythology, tormented souls, sectarian traditions, and fate. The atmosphere blends modern luxury, ancient mysticism and a paranormal biology with a lust that vibrates through the pages.

The characters bring sophisticated talks about Dante and Hell to their dance of seduction. The pull and push of mind-blowing chemistry and untapped dangers play its magic in scenes where the couple challenges and tempts each other. They are fighting their fiery desire while attempting to decipher their connection, his foggy origins, and her mafia-like family.

The result is addictive. I really can't say what I enjoyed the most. The arousing buildup of impossible intimacy? The nagging secrets about the characters' mysterious identities? Maybe the horrible, yet darkly erotic fate that awaits Kara as her biblical duty? That Lucifer look alike was my undoing :-D

When Maximus and Kara finally succumb to their passion it is truly a moment of tempestuous bliss. True scorcher! That cliffhanger in the end is a portal to a veritable source of devilish plots that I am eager to explore. Bring the underworld on!

PAPERBACKS

EBOOKS

THE REST OF THE SERIES

I can’t wait for book 2!

💕

Enjoy your reading time 😘

viernes, 14 de febrero de 2020

Cover Time: 💕 Spellbreaker 💕

Hi, book buddies ☺ This cover reveal is very special to me. I love the author’s imagination, and this book just seems to dazzle me 💛

SPELLBREAKER

by Charlie N. Holmberg 

WHAT IS THIS BEAUTY ABOUT?

A world of enchanted injustice needs a disenchanting woman in the newest fantasy series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.

The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells, and those like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. She always did love the tale of Robin Hood.

Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain. She’ll help Bacchus fix unruly spells around his estate if he doesn’t turn her in. Working together, Elsie’s trust in—and fondness for--the handsome stranger grows. So does her trepidation for the rise in the murders of wizards, and the theft of the spellbooks their bodies leave behind.

For a rogue spellbreaker like Elsie, there’s so much to learn about her powers, her family, the intriguing Bacchus, and the untold dangers shadowing every step of a journey she’s been destined to complete. But will she uncover the mystery before it’s too late to save everything she loves?

WHERE 

Amazon preorder link: bit.ly/2vVK8s5

Goodreads link: http://bit.ly/3bukefo

💛

Don’t you think it's beautiful? 

💛

domingo, 14 de octubre de 2018

Impressive finale: A Sorrow Fierce and Falling

Book buddies, I am utterly impressed. I fell in love with A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING, by Jessica Cluess when it was published in Spain, my home country. I had the exciting chance to get an arc for the second part on Netgalley and now, tadaaaaa, the third and most extraordinary part is coming out in October, 16th.

Thanks to @prhinternational I got the e-arc and I am SO HAPPY! It made me cry seas of feelings, but it also amazed me, yeah, amazed me O_O The female character is a role model because of her wit and resilience and her magic abilities and oh the swoons and the monsters... :-D You should feel all this for yourself. Go ahead. And look at the covers! They are beauty itself.

MY OPINION

This is one of the finales I’ve been anticipating the most. I love Henrietta, her strength, her dark secrets, her valour against literally monstrous odds.

This novel is acutely atmospheric with its gothic setting and the many dangers lurking in army or ghostly form all around this intrepid heroine. She dallies with powerful forces which have unforeseen consequences that crack open a can of evil dangers that wreak havoc as never before. Whatever hope Henrietta, Blackwood and Magnus started with, it was crushed under the onslaught of lingering mistakes, violence, bloodshed and betrayals.

I loved the growing push of loss as she tries to love Blackwood (so much swoony romance), but death keeps raining down on Sorrow-Fell, the last bastion to defend England from a horde of vengeful demons. Gripping plot twists, thrilling action and spectacular magic entwine with a bunch of characters that clash in their ambitions and failures.

The novel has a phenomenal pace riddled with horrors and a valiant heroine at the helm of a sinking ship that she never abandons. She’s clever and never relents, yet the enemy always seems to lick at her heels. I laughed with her wit and the wonderful interactions with all her friends and allies, and I cried for her when she made the most painful kind of sacrifice. Blackwood and Magnus are two wondrous challenges to Henrietta’s heart, and I relished every moment of truth, anguish and emotion they shared.

Epic is the word that best defines this finale of an amazing trilogy. Epic in magic powers and monumental battles and godly confrontations. Epic in profound love and unbearable loss. Epic in soulful detail and characters. Epic epilogue, too. I stand awed. Thank you for writing this majestic fantasy tale.

Favourite quotes:

There’s nothing gentle about magic.

I always loved the happy look of books lining a shelf.

Any healthy society needed to hear multiple voices.

Sometimes we must be harder than life itself.

THE LOVELY AUTHOR - JESSICA CLUESS

http://jessicacluess.com/

Book 1 in the Kingdom on Fire series Book 2 in the Kingdom on Fire series

Out from Random House September 20, 2016 Out from Random House September 19, 2017

START AT THE BEGINNING...

Henrietta can burst into flames
Forced to reveal her power to save a friend, she’s shocked when instead of being executed, she’s named the first female sorcerer in hundreds of years and invited to train as one of Her Majesty’s royal sorcerers. Thrust into the glamour of Victorian London, Henrietta is declared the prophesied one, the girl who will defeat the Ancients, bloodthirsty demons terrorizing humanity. She also meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, handsome young men eager to test her power and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her.
But Henrietta is not the chosen one.
As she plays a dangerous game of deception, she discovers that the sorcerers have their own secrets to protect. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city–and the one she loves?
Exhilarating and gripping, Jessica Cluess’s spellbinding first book in the Kingdom on Fire series introduces a powerful, unforgettable heroine and a world filled with magic, romance, and betrayal.

A Sorrow Fierce and Falling comes out October 16, 2018

If you like YA fantasy with lots of imagination, action, magic and romance, and heartbreark, you will love this trilogy from start to finish :-)

Enjoy your reading week!

viernes, 18 de agosto de 2017

Cover Reveal: Blood Revenge

Ready for a cover reveal? I always am! :-D

Blood Revenge
The Blood Trilogy: Book II
Author: Lily Serafina
Genre: YA Fantasy
Cover Design: Ashley Michel/AM Creations
Release Date: September 29, 2017

Teaser Synopsis: The castle is a place where everyone wears many faces and where the darkest of desires come to play. It’s where someone you thought you knew, might turn out to be someone you don’t know at all.

Aura broke all the rules when she fell in love with a vampire and it cost the lives of everyone she loved. Now, trapped in the hell that Tristan has created for her, who will hear her cries for help? And who will even care?

Isa tore apart lives when she lusted after a prince, a mistake she paid for with her life. In more ways than one. She’ll stop at nothing to satisfy her craving for retribution.

The only thing sweeter than revenge? Blood.

It sounds pretty exciting, right? If you never crossed paths with the first book in this trilogy, here is the amazing cover for you to worship.

Link to Purchase BLOOD TREASON

ABOUT THE MASTERMIND

Lily Serafina spends her days with her two cats, creating stories as they come to her mind. A lifelong, avid read and writer, Lily began writing novels at the age of thirteen, later on becoming a teacher. Lily has since left the classroom in pursuit of becoming reunited with her true love, writing. She and her kitties are nestled in the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee.

Lily writes Young Adult Fantasy, as well as Young Adult Dystopian novels. Her debut novel, BLOOD TREASON, was given a number of glowing reviews by book bloggers.

Author Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLilySerafina/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writerlilyserafina/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheLilySerafina

Website: www.lilyserafina.com

So, what did you think of these covers? :-)

jueves, 15 de septiembre de 2016

Cover reveal: Pocket Full of Tinder + giveaway

My wish came true, book buddies. There is a fourth novel in the NOON ONYX series!! I am thrilled, believe me :-D

Pocket Full of Tinder

Noon Onyx

Book 4

Jill Archer

Goodreads Page

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Black Willow

Word Count: ~ 85,000

Cover Artist: Rebecca Frank

Author Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/bAzF7n

Noon Onyx is back! In this long-awaited fourth installment,

Jill Archer returns readers to the dangerous world of Halja, where demons, angels,

and humans coexist in an uneasy state of détente.

Maegester-in-Training Noon Onyx feels like she’s done it all – mastered fiery magic, become an adept fighter, learned the law, killed countless demons, and survived having her heart broken by both love and an arrow, but now she’ll face her greatest challenge yet…

Far to the north lies an outpost famous for its unrest – Rockthorn Gorge. The town’s patron has specifically requested Noon’s help. Her assignment? Help the neophyte demon lord build his fiefdom and keep what’s his. The problem? Lord Aristos – Noon’s new employer – is her erstwhile lover, Ari Carmine, the aforementioned heartbreaker. And the number one thing he wants is her.

When Rockthorn Gorge’s viaduct is destroyed by Displodo, an enigmatic bomber, killing a dozen settlers and wounding scores more, Noon sets off early to aid in the search and rescue. Ari is listed among the missing and the suspects are legion. But Noon’s search is just the beginning. Her journey forces Noon to confront not only those she loves, but also enemies hell-bent on destroying them.

ENJOY AN EXCERPT!

The claw-and-ball had been chewed clean off. It lay on a patch of sunny parquet floor, just to the right of an antique, aubergine wool rug now covered with the splintered remnants of an eleventh century pedestal table and one very large, ghastly looking, somewhat repentant barghest.

Nova’s head rested on her front paws as her gaze shifted warily from me to Miss Bister, Megiddo’s dormater, or house mother.

“Megiddo’s lobby is not a kennel, Miss Onyx. That”—she motioned dismissively toward Nova—“beast can no longer be housed here.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Miss Bister continued speaking, her tone rising only infinitesimally, her back as stiff as Luck’s lance must have been, and her expression just as hard. She pointed toward the previously priceless, three-footed piece of furniture that was now a worthless, two-footed pile of kindling.

“No amount of money – or magic – can fix that, Nouiomo. It’s beyond repair. I warned you. I made an exception to my ‘no pets’ rule because you never cause trouble. You never forget your key; you promptly pick up your deliveries; you change your own light bulbs; you double bag your trash. You leave nothing behind in the bathroom; you don’t monopolize the washing machines; you are exceedingly polite to the lift operator; you don’t sing in the shower.”

I suppressed a sigh. After a year and a half of painstaking efforts, harrowing experiences, and endless hours of education, my worth had just been measured by the fact that I could change a light bulb. I’d mastered fiery magic, become an adept fighter, learned the law, killed countless demons (one regrettably, the others much less so), freed myriad immortals from an accursed, tortured bondage, and survived having my heart nearly destroyed by both love and an arrow, yet none of that meant bupkis next to the fact that I double bagged my trash. And yet…

I couldn’t really argue with Miss Bister either. Everything she’d said was true. And who was I to tell her what she should deem important? I respected that she valued domestic order and antiques. I did too, if not nearly as much as I valued the thing that now threatened our continued access to such. I glared at Nova, who swept one paw over her eyes as if she could hide from me and the evidence of what she’d done.

Barghests are giant hellhounds. They’re bigger than bears, fiercer than rabid raccoons, and uglier than naked mole rats. Their teeth are the size of railroad spikes, their claws as sharp as a sickle, their breath as foul as sewage gas. But they are also affectionate, brave, and loyal. What barghests lack in magic, they make up for in devotion. And even though I was plenty mad at Nova for chewing up Miss Bister’s table, I also knew it wasn’t Nova’s fault.

It was mine – for thinking the lobby of a demon law school dormitory would be a good place to keep her.

“Miss Bister, please,” I said. “I’m truly sorry. I know I can’t replace that exact table. But if you would just allow me to—”

“No,” Miss Bister said simply. “Either the beast goes… Or you do.”

I stared at the small, frail, magicless woman in front of me, trying desperately to think of some way to fix this problem. Wasn’t there something I could do, or say, or offer her that would make amends and convince her not to kick us out?

But all I could think of was how useless some of the things our society valued most were. As Miss Bister had pointed out, neither magic nor money would help. If I was going to repair the table, I’d need to find another way. Which would take time. And that meant I’d need to find somewhere else for us to sleep tonight. Because if the beast was going… I was too.

“Yes, Miss Bister,” I said. “I understand.”

She narrowed her eyes, slightly suspicious of my now gracious defeat since I’d just spent the last half-hour trying to persuade her to accept various forms of reparation. But then she nodded, handed me a couple of paper bin bags, and left.

I slid one bag inside the other and stooped down to pick up the slobbery remains of Nova’s mangled chew toy. When I finished, she came over to me and nudged my arm with her head. She let out a woofy whine.

Was she sorry? She darn well better be!

I gave her a scratch behind the ears.

“Now that you’ve sharpened your teeth on my former dormater’s furniture, are you ready to eat some real food for breakfast?”

The three books that you cannot miss.

My reviews: Book 1, book 2 and book 3.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million |

Powell’s Books | Book Depository | IndieBound

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million |

Powell’s Books | Book Depository | IndieBound

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million |

Powell’s Books | Book Depository | IndieBound

ABOUT THE MASTERMIND

Jill Archer writes dark, genre-bending fantasy from rural Maryland. Her novels include Dark Light of Day, Fiery Edge of Steel, White Heart of Justice, and Pocket Full of Tinder. She loves cats, coffee, books, movies, day tripping, and outdoor adventuring.

Website: http://www.jillarcher.com/

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bAzF7n

Blog: https://jillarcherauthor.wordpress.com/blog/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/archer_jill

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillarcherauthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5782149.Jill_Archer

Discussion Questions: http://jillarcherauthor.wordpress.com/book-clubs/

TOUR GIVEAWAY!

$25 eGC to bookstore (winner’s choice)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Media Kit: Pocket Full of Tinder – Bonus Giveaway!

PROMO TWEETS AND TWITTER CONTEST

Anyone who tweets one of these will be entered to win ANY fantasy book of their choice from Book Depository (so long as Book Depository ships to your address) (up to $10.00). Contest ends on September 30, 2016. One tweet/entry per person per day.

In a dark world, follow one woman’s search for goodness, light, and love…