Shadow and Soul, Book One Tirelessly imaginative and magical story Shadow of the Beast, the debut novel from Cassandra Diviak, grabs your focus from the first pages, and takes you on an adventure as you try to untangle the clues about who or what is stalking the citizens of Runswick. It's story is well crafted and engaging from start to finished, however, it is the characters that truly held my attention. Percy and Cordelia start out with their own lives, troubles, and concerns, but as danger stalks the dark streets of Runswick, and deaths threaten the tentative security of both their lives, the two main characters find themselves having to work together. Not only to solve what's hunting the townspeople, but to find a way to move forward as their two separate paths become inextricably tangled. The slow, burgeoning relationship between the two protagonists is a joy to watch, and the steady progression from strangers, to friends, with the potential for more hovering on the horizon is a refreshing change of pace from many books I've read recently where the relationships seem forced or rushed. Overall this is a joy to read, and I greatly look forward to seeing how all of these characters, Percy and Cordelia's relationship, and the subtle hints of a deeper and lore rich world, develop in future books from this writer. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. You can purchase a copy of Shadow of the Beast, in e-book or paperback form via;
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The Dark Between, Book Two Now my teeth are gnashing for book three... Book one of the dark between series, Luna, left me enthralled with the world, and enchanted with the rich cast of characters that Rae Else has created. Book two, Nox, has left me on the edge of my seat, waiting urgently to sink my teeth into part three. Just like the first book, Rae Else's engaging writing style, compelling story, and charming cast of characters sucked me in and I devoured the whole book in one sitting. Nox launches us straight back into the Para world a month after the ending of Luna, with Jess, Theo, Rune, Astra and Matteo all playing prominent roles as the plot progresses, and some of them earning their first Point-Of-View chapters. The further you read, the greater the feeling becomes that the stakes are being exponentially raised for Jess, both in the matter of her personal life and the para world she's still struggling to make sense of. But no matter what Jess hopes for, the noose is tightening around her and her friends. There are chess pieces being moved in the shadows that they can't predict, and answers to questions they don't yet know to ask are coming to the surface, all the while Jess is growing in potential and coming into her own. Mastering her shifter abilities, and discovering new powers that may or may not be linked to Rune's past. Everything is coming to a head, but figuring out who she can trust might be Jess' greatest challenge yet. I genuinely can't find fault with this book. I rarely leave 5 star reviews on anything, but every part of Jess' story has gripped me and while this book has given me hours of utter delight to read, (I may or may not have read it three times at this point), I can't help but eagerly await the next installment. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. You can purchase a copy of Nox, in e-book or paperback form via;
Amazon UK or Amazon US Waterstones Apple Books Kobo Barnes & Noble |
Arista Holmes
I'm a writer in her thirties, who is based in the South East of England. Archives
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