Blog Tour for The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld

Title: The Enchanted
Author: Rene Denfeld (website)(Facebook)
Rating: 4 of 5

Goodreads summary:

A wondrous and redemptive debut novel, set in a stark world where evil and magic coincide, The Enchanted combines the empathy and lyricism of Alice Sebold with the dark, imaginative power of Stephen King.

"This is an enchanted place. Others don't see it, but I do."

The enchanted place is an ancient stone prison, viewed through the eyes of a death row inmate who finds escape in his books and in re-imagining life around him, weaving a fantastical story of the people he observes and the world he inhabits. Fearful and reclusive, he senses what others cannot. Though bars confine him every minute of every day, he marries magical visions of golden horses running beneath the prison, heat flowing like molten metal from their backs, with the devastating violence of prison life.

Two outsiders venture here: a fallen priest, and the Lady, an investigator who searches for buried information from prisoners' pasts that can save those soon-to-be-executed. Digging into the background of a killer named York, she uncovers wrenching truths that challenge familiar notions of victim and criminal, innocence and guilt, honor and corruption-ultimately revealing shocking secrets of her own.

Beautiful and transcendent, The Enchanted reminds us of how our humanity connects us all, and how beauty and love exist even amidst the most nightmarish reality.

I think this is one of those books that you either love or hate. I loved the beautiful writing but left it thinking that I didn't quite "get it" as a whole. The line between the reality and fantasy was always blurred which left me feeling a bit off sometimes.

Denefeld does an excellent job with the writing and the characters are quite varied. I enjoyed the fact that only the killers on death row were named and the others were only spoken of by description. It made it feel even more harsh.

The setting is beyond harsh and it was awful to read about. As you learn more of the stories of the inmates, it is so difficult to hate them. You hate what they did but it seems like you can see more why they did it. I thought that this controversial plot line was pretty balanced. It never felt like it was preaching one way or the other which is a testament to her writing ability.

The one thing that I didn't like with the "love story" subplot because it didn't feel real to me and I wasn't rooting for it. It seemed more of a plot device to bring the story to a satisfying and more "beautiful" conclusion.

I'd like to revisit it and wish that I had a person to talk to about it in person as there were a couple of points that I'm just not sure about. Overall I enjoyed it - if "enjoying" a book about death row is possible. I'll definitely pick up another Denfeld book because of the writing.

Blog Tour for The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld

Title: The Enchanted
Author: Rene Denfeld (website)(Facebook)
Rating: 4 of 5

Goodreads summary:

A wondrous and redemptive debut novel, set in a stark world where evil and magic coincide, The Enchanted combines the empathy and lyricism of Alice Sebold with the dark, imaginative power of Stephen King.

"This is an enchanted place. Others don't see it, but I do."

The enchanted place is an ancient stone prison, viewed through the eyes of a death row inmate who finds escape in his books and in re-imagining life around him, weaving a fantastical story of the people he observes and the world he inhabits. Fearful and reclusive, he senses what others cannot. Though bars confine him every minute of every day, he marries magical visions of golden horses running beneath the prison, heat flowing like molten metal from their backs, with the devastating violence of prison life.

Two outsiders venture here: a fallen priest, and the Lady, an investigator who searches for buried information from prisoners' pasts that can save those soon-to-be-executed. Digging into the background of a killer named York, she uncovers wrenching truths that challenge familiar notions of victim and criminal, innocence and guilt, honor and corruption-ultimately revealing shocking secrets of her own.

Beautiful and transcendent, The Enchanted reminds us of how our humanity connects us all, and how beauty and love exist even amidst the most nightmarish reality.

I think this is one of those books that you either love or hate. I loved the beautiful writing but left it thinking that I didn't quite "get it" as a whole. The line between the reality and fantasy was always blurred which left me feeling a bit off sometimes.

Denefeld does an excellent job with the writing and the characters are quite varied. I enjoyed the fact that only the killers on death row were named and the others were only spoken of by description. It made it feel even more harsh.

The setting is beyond harsh and it was awful to read about. As you learn more of the stories of the inmates, it is so difficult to hate them. You hate what they did but it seems like you can see more why they did it. I thought that this controversial plot line was pretty balanced. It never felt like it was preaching one way or the other which is a testament to her writing ability.

The one thing that I didn't like with the "love story" subplot because it didn't feel real to me and I wasn't rooting for it. It seemed more of a plot device to bring the story to a satisfying and more "beautiful" conclusion.

I'd like to revisit it and wish that I had a person to talk to about it in person as there were a couple of points that I'm just not sure about. Overall I enjoyed it - if "enjoying" a book about death row is possible. I'll definitely pick up another Denfeld book because of the writing.

Blog Tour for Ripper by Isabel Allende

Title: Ripper
Author: Isabel Allende (website)
Pages: 496
Source: TLC Book Tours for review 
Rating: 3/5

Summary from Goodreads:

Isabel Allende-the New York Times bestselling author whose books, including Maya's Notebook, Island Beneath the Sea, and Zorro, have sold more than 57 million copies around the world-demonstrates her remarkable literary versatility with this atmospheric, fast-paced mystery involving a brilliant teenage sleuth who must unmask a serial killer in San Francisco

The Jackson women, Indiana and Amanda, have always had each other. Yet, while their bond is strong, mother and daughter are as different as night and day. Indiana, a beautiful holistic healer, is a free-spirited bohemian. Long divorced from Amanda's father, she's reluctant to settle down with either of the men who want her-Alan, the wealthy scion of one of San Francisco's elite families, and Ryan, an enigmatic, scarred former Navy SEAL.

While her mom looks for the good in people, Amanda is fascinated by the dark side of human nature, like her father, the SFPD's Deputy Chief of Homicide. Brilliant and introverted, the MIT-bound high school senior is a natural-born sleuth addicted to crime novels and Ripper, the online mystery game she plays with her beloved grandfather and friends around the world.

When a string of strange murders occurs across the city, Amanda plunges into her own investigation, discovering, before the police do, that the deaths may be connected. But the case becomes all too personal when Indiana suddenly vanishes. Could her mother's disappearance be linked to the serial killer? Now, with her mother's life on the line, the young detective must solve the most complex mystery she's ever faced before it's too late
The summary on this one sounds like it would be something I'd totally love. Unfortunately it didn't live up to the hype I had in my head. I am a huge fan of stories with serial killers but the mystery got lost in the writing.  am guessing that this would be a literary mystery because it was written with fancier language than I usually read in mysteries. The writing was lovely but there were huge chunks of text that told things not related to what came before it. Something like...she was walking through the woods. And then 3 paragraphs about how the woods were discovered and what they were originally called and on and on. That aspect kept me from settling into the mystery aspect of it.

The online game Ripper is interesting and I enjoyed how Allende wove that into her story. Amanda comes into her own by playing the game and then by trying to solve the real life serial killing. I loved, loved, loved her relationship with her grandfather. So nice to read about a wonderful relationship like that.

Another aspect I really enjoyed was how the Ripper players were so varied and from around the world but they were still good friends. Never meeting in real life doesn't mean much in today's society. With social media, we converse more on our digital devices than in real person. The game really brought that home.

The pacing was slower than I prefer for a mystery - I like lots of action but was satisfied with it overall because of the beautiful writing.

You can find the rest of the tour here.

About Isabel Allende:

Isabel Allende is the bestselling author of twelve works of fiction, four memoirs, and three young adult novels, which have been translated into more than twenty-seven languages, with more than 57 million copies sold. In 2004, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award in 2012. Born in Peru and raised in Chile, she lives in California. Find out more about Allende, her books, and her foundation at www.isabelallende.com, and connect with her on Facebook.

Blog Tour for Ripper by Isabel Allende

Title: Ripper
Author: Isabel Allende (website)
Pages: 496
Source: TLC Book Tours for review 
Rating: 3/5

Summary from Goodreads:

Isabel Allende-the New York Times bestselling author whose books, including Maya's Notebook, Island Beneath the Sea, and Zorro, have sold more than 57 million copies around the world-demonstrates her remarkable literary versatility with this atmospheric, fast-paced mystery involving a brilliant teenage sleuth who must unmask a serial killer in San Francisco

The Jackson women, Indiana and Amanda, have always had each other. Yet, while their bond is strong, mother and daughter are as different as night and day. Indiana, a beautiful holistic healer, is a free-spirited bohemian. Long divorced from Amanda's father, she's reluctant to settle down with either of the men who want her-Alan, the wealthy scion of one of San Francisco's elite families, and Ryan, an enigmatic, scarred former Navy SEAL.

While her mom looks for the good in people, Amanda is fascinated by the dark side of human nature, like her father, the SFPD's Deputy Chief of Homicide. Brilliant and introverted, the MIT-bound high school senior is a natural-born sleuth addicted to crime novels and Ripper, the online mystery game she plays with her beloved grandfather and friends around the world.

When a string of strange murders occurs across the city, Amanda plunges into her own investigation, discovering, before the police do, that the deaths may be connected. But the case becomes all too personal when Indiana suddenly vanishes. Could her mother's disappearance be linked to the serial killer? Now, with her mother's life on the line, the young detective must solve the most complex mystery she's ever faced before it's too late
The summary on this one sounds like it would be something I'd totally love. Unfortunately it didn't live up to the hype I had in my head. I am a huge fan of stories with serial killers but the mystery got lost in the writing.  am guessing that this would be a literary mystery because it was written with fancier language than I usually read in mysteries. The writing was lovely but there were huge chunks of text that told things not related to what came before it. Something like...she was walking through the woods. And then 3 paragraphs about how the woods were discovered and what they were originally called and on and on. That aspect kept me from settling into the mystery aspect of it.

The online game Ripper is interesting and I enjoyed how Allende wove that into her story. Amanda comes into her own by playing the game and then by trying to solve the real life serial killing. I loved, loved, loved her relationship with her grandfather. So nice to read about a wonderful relationship like that.

Another aspect I really enjoyed was how the Ripper players were so varied and from around the world but they were still good friends. Never meeting in real life doesn't mean much in today's society. With social media, we converse more on our digital devices than in real person. The game really brought that home.

The pacing was slower than I prefer for a mystery - I like lots of action but was satisfied with it overall because of the beautiful writing.

You can find the rest of the tour here.

About Isabel Allende:

Isabel Allende is the bestselling author of twelve works of fiction, four memoirs, and three young adult novels, which have been translated into more than twenty-seven languages, with more than 57 million copies sold. In 2004, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award in 2012. Born in Peru and raised in Chile, she lives in California. Find out more about Allende, her books, and her foundation at www.isabelallende.com, and connect with her on Facebook.

The Devil Drinks Coffee by Destiny Ford {Blog Tour + Giveaway}

 

Title: The Devil Drinks Coffee (Kate Saxee Mystery #1)

Author: Destiny Ford (website)(Twitter)(Facebook)(Goodreads)

Pages: 358

Source: Book Nerd Tours (Check all the stops on the tour here)

Rating: cute and fun

Kate Saxee returns to her small town of Branson, Utah to work for the tiny newspaper in town. When a teenagers body shows up in the lake, the police rule it an accidental drowning but a hunky and mysterious Hawke makes Kate see that there might be more to the story. With the addition of the town's most elegible bachelor, Dylan Drake, the three of them try to solve the mystery. In a place this small, everything is seen by everyone. Rumors start flying that she is sleeping with not only those two but also her boss at the paper.

It used to be that "cozy" mysteries made up most of my book reading time. I loved reading a light story with fun characters and good mystery. These days I don't read many but this book's summary caught my eye. I'm really glad that I took a chance because it was super cute and fun.

It's very much like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie has the completely hot Ranger and Morelli fighting over her and you're not exactly sure why. Kate has Hawke and Drake fighting over her and you aren't exactly sure why. Instead of a hilarious Grandma like in the Plum series, you have Kate's mom getting into all kinds of trouble...burning up a field and killing a cow, among other things.

The characters are fun and the book is enjoyable. Most of the action takes place in the final few pages. The sexual tension between Kate and Hawke and Kate and Drake was good. The mystery was decent and the whodoneit was believable. The biggest thing that took away from it for me was how bad of an investigator Kate was. It took her tons of time to find even the smallest of clues and it was hard to swallow that the police would rule a teenager's death an accidental drowning that quickly. The constant lists of sins that the Mormon church held tended to grate on my nerves a bit. Saying it once got a chuckle but the whole way through was a bit much.

It sounds like I didn't enjoy the book but that's not the case. I thought it was a really fun and quick read with characters I enjoyed reading about. Cozy mystery fans will definitely enjoy it. It's funny in parts and the sexual tension is really good and those two things have me looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

 About the author:

Destiny Ford is a pseudonym for Angela Corbett. Angela graduated from Westminster College with a double major in communication and sociology. She started working as a reporter when she was sixteen and won awards for feature, news, and editorial writing. She has also done freelance writing. In addition to writing, she works as a director of communications and marketing. She loves classic cars, traveling, cupcakes, and U2. She lives in Utah with her extremely supportive husband and their five-pound Pomeranian, Pippin, whose following of fangirls could rival Justin Bieber's.

She writes adult titles under the name Destiny Ford, and YA/NA titles under the name Angela Corbett.

While you are here don't forget to enter the tour wide giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Devil Drinks Coffee by Destiny Ford {Blog Tour + Giveaway}

 

Title: The Devil Drinks Coffee (Kate Saxee Mystery #1)

Author: Destiny Ford (website)(Twitter)(Facebook)(Goodreads)

Pages: 358

Source: Book Nerd Tours (Check all the stops on the tour here)

Rating: cute and fun

Kate Saxee returns to her small town of Branson, Utah to work for the tiny newspaper in town. When a teenagers body shows up in the lake, the police rule it an accidental drowning but a hunky and mysterious Hawke makes Kate see that there might be more to the story. With the addition of the town's most elegible bachelor, Dylan Drake, the three of them try to solve the mystery. In a place this small, everything is seen by everyone. Rumors start flying that she is sleeping with not only those two but also her boss at the paper.

It used to be that "cozy" mysteries made up most of my book reading time. I loved reading a light story with fun characters and good mystery. These days I don't read many but this book's summary caught my eye. I'm really glad that I took a chance because it was super cute and fun.

It's very much like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie has the completely hot Ranger and Morelli fighting over her and you're not exactly sure why. Kate has Hawke and Drake fighting over her and you aren't exactly sure why. Instead of a hilarious Grandma like in the Plum series, you have Kate's mom getting into all kinds of trouble...burning up a field and killing a cow, among other things.

The characters are fun and the book is enjoyable. Most of the action takes place in the final few pages. The sexual tension between Kate and Hawke and Kate and Drake was good. The mystery was decent and the whodoneit was believable. The biggest thing that took away from it for me was how bad of an investigator Kate was. It took her tons of time to find even the smallest of clues and it was hard to swallow that the police would rule a teenager's death an accidental drowning that quickly. The constant lists of sins that the Mormon church held tended to grate on my nerves a bit. Saying it once got a chuckle but the whole way through was a bit much.

It sounds like I didn't enjoy the book but that's not the case. I thought it was a really fun and quick read with characters I enjoyed reading about. Cozy mystery fans will definitely enjoy it. It's funny in parts and the sexual tension is really good and those two things have me looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

 About the author:

Destiny Ford is a pseudonym for Angela Corbett. Angela graduated from Westminster College with a double major in communication and sociology. She started working as a reporter when she was sixteen and won awards for feature, news, and editorial writing. She has also done freelance writing. In addition to writing, she works as a director of communications and marketing. She loves classic cars, traveling, cupcakes, and U2. She lives in Utah with her extremely supportive husband and their five-pound Pomeranian, Pippin, whose following of fangirls could rival Justin Bieber's.

She writes adult titles under the name Destiny Ford, and YA/NA titles under the name Angela Corbett.

While you are here don't forget to enter the tour wide giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Last Dance by Kiki Hamilton {Blog Tour + Giveaway}

Title: The Last Dance
Author: Kiki Hamilton (website)(Twitter)
Pages: 268 pages
Source: author for blog tour (click here for the entire tour)
Publication Date: February 14, 2013
Publisher: Fair Wind Books
Rating: My heart zings~

    

I received a wonderful personalized and autographed copy of The Last Dance for this blog tour as well as a few bookmarks. The author's little trademark sentiment "I hope your heart zings" sums up this book for me. It is such a sweet little book.

At 256 pages, it is a fast read but it is loaded with heart. Kellen is the school's star quarterback. An injury leaves him relearning how to walk and talk. He has near perfect grades so to keep up he is assigned a tutor, Ivy Ly. Ivy is an accomplished musician on her way to an Ivy League school. Her parents are grooming her for medical school but her secret wish is to study music. Mira is Ivy's best friend and she is obsessed with Kellen.

Although I knew pretty much where this was going from the very beginning, I enjoyed the story very much. Ivy and Kellan are both quite likeable and Mira is a complete hoot. I loved that Kellan is a smart jock and not a dumb one. He does very well in school and in sports and is still loved after his accident when he thinks that he's not worth anything.

Hamilton speaks to a very real issue in sports - especially hockey and football - a condition known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE. It is a disease resulting from trauma to the brain. As a mother of two sons, I was especially interested in this condition. It is wonderful that the author has given a voice to this disease through a sweet story. It makes you think.

The secondary cast of characters were also well done. Kellan's ex-girlfriend, Laurel, is a character that I love to hate. She is a mean girl cheerleader but isn't just a cardboard cutout character. CJ, Brandon and the others are also well written and a good part of the book. 

The romance was nice and not overdone. Very believable in both progress and troubles.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to other fan's of YA contemporary. Mixing seriousness with hope and love...it made my heart zing.



About the Author:

Kiki Hamilton is the author of THE FAERIE RING fantasy series and the YA contemporary novel, THE LAST DANCE. She believes in magic and the idea of hidden worlds co-existing with our own. Kiki lives near Seattle, though she dreams of living in London one day. Visit her website.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Last Dance by Kiki Hamilton {Blog Tour + Giveaway}

Title: The Last Dance
Author: Kiki Hamilton (website)(Twitter)
Pages: 268 pages
Source: author for blog tour (click here for the entire tour)
Publication Date: February 14, 2013
Publisher: Fair Wind Books
Rating: My heart zings~

    

I received a wonderful personalized and autographed copy of The Last Dance for this blog tour as well as a few bookmarks. The author's little trademark sentiment "I hope your heart zings" sums up this book for me. It is such a sweet little book.

At 256 pages, it is a fast read but it is loaded with heart. Kellen is the school's star quarterback. An injury leaves him relearning how to walk and talk. He has near perfect grades so to keep up he is assigned a tutor, Ivy Ly. Ivy is an accomplished musician on her way to an Ivy League school. Her parents are grooming her for medical school but her secret wish is to study music. Mira is Ivy's best friend and she is obsessed with Kellen.

Although I knew pretty much where this was going from the very beginning, I enjoyed the story very much. Ivy and Kellan are both quite likeable and Mira is a complete hoot. I loved that Kellan is a smart jock and not a dumb one. He does very well in school and in sports and is still loved after his accident when he thinks that he's not worth anything.

Hamilton speaks to a very real issue in sports - especially hockey and football - a condition known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE. It is a disease resulting from trauma to the brain. As a mother of two sons, I was especially interested in this condition. It is wonderful that the author has given a voice to this disease through a sweet story. It makes you think.

The secondary cast of characters were also well done. Kellan's ex-girlfriend, Laurel, is a character that I love to hate. She is a mean girl cheerleader but isn't just a cardboard cutout character. CJ, Brandon and the others are also well written and a good part of the book. 

The romance was nice and not overdone. Very believable in both progress and troubles.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to other fan's of YA contemporary. Mixing seriousness with hope and love...it made my heart zing.



About the Author:

Kiki Hamilton is the author of THE FAERIE RING fantasy series and the YA contemporary novel, THE LAST DANCE. She believes in magic and the idea of hidden worlds co-existing with our own. Kiki lives near Seattle, though she dreams of living in London one day. Visit her website.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Solstice High by Ardash Vartparonian {Blog Tour}

Title: Solstice High

Author: Ardash Vartparonian

Pages: 353

Source: Author for blog tour

Find it: Amazon (paperback) B&N (paperback)

Rating: Entertaining and fun

On their first day of Senior year, friends Matt, Rochelle, Daphne and Jonas are involved in an accident that leaves them with superhuman powers. Secrets are hiding in the halls of Solstice High as they uncover that their principal is not what he seems.

This was a fun and entertaining book. Ardash began writing this when he was a teenager which is pretty darn impressive. The story is told through each of the teenagers by alternating chapters. Usually this annoys me but each voice was pretty easy to recognize. I loved all the cultural references, both past and present. It will date the book pretty quickly but it was a fun way to explain different things.

The characters were well developed although a bit cliche. There's Matt, the gay guy who is as much of a diva as Mean Girl Rochelle. Rochelle is queen bee at the school because she is feared. She has no reason to be mean, she just is. Daphne is the typical emo, dark, angry girl. And Jonas is the good looking jock that is in love with Rochelle. 

Each has things going on in their lives that they are trying to break free from or to work through. The addition of these unwanted "powers" are hard for each of them to handle. There was a good process of them learning to control their powers and I thought that it was a great part of the overall story.

There was a lot of action and a bit of mystery. A quick read that was entertaining. The ending felt a bit rushed since there was so much build up but it was satisfying.

I'd recommend this to sci fi fans. Think X-Men in a high school. Definite fun.

Come back tomorrow...Ardash takes over my blog to answer a question for me!

About the author:

Ardash Vartparonian was born in London but raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 18 he began his debut novel, Solstice High, and continued writing throughout his last year of school and first year of university, where he moved back to the UK to study English Literature at Edinburgh University. Now a fourth year student, Ardash enjoys going out with his friends, watching horror movies and reading fantasy books while trying to keep up with his university work.

Solstice High by Ardash Vartparonian {Blog Tour}

Title: Solstice High

Author: Ardash Vartparonian

Pages: 353

Source: Author for blog tour

Find it: Amazon (paperback) B&N (paperback)

Rating: Entertaining and fun

On their first day of Senior year, friends Matt, Rochelle, Daphne and Jonas are involved in an accident that leaves them with superhuman powers. Secrets are hiding in the halls of Solstice High as they uncover that their principal is not what he seems.

This was a fun and entertaining book. Ardash began writing this when he was a teenager which is pretty darn impressive. The story is told through each of the teenagers by alternating chapters. Usually this annoys me but each voice was pretty easy to recognize. I loved all the cultural references, both past and present. It will date the book pretty quickly but it was a fun way to explain different things.

The characters were well developed although a bit cliche. There's Matt, the gay guy who is as much of a diva as Mean Girl Rochelle. Rochelle is queen bee at the school because she is feared. She has no reason to be mean, she just is. Daphne is the typical emo, dark, angry girl. And Jonas is the good looking jock that is in love with Rochelle. 

Each has things going on in their lives that they are trying to break free from or to work through. The addition of these unwanted "powers" are hard for each of them to handle. There was a good process of them learning to control their powers and I thought that it was a great part of the overall story.

There was a lot of action and a bit of mystery. A quick read that was entertaining. The ending felt a bit rushed since there was so much build up but it was satisfying.

I'd recommend this to sci fi fans. Think X-Men in a high school. Definite fun.

Come back tomorrow...Ardash takes over my blog to answer a question for me!

About the author:

Ardash Vartparonian was born in London but raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 18 he began his debut novel, Solstice High, and continued writing throughout his last year of school and first year of university, where he moved back to the UK to study English Literature at Edinburgh University. Now a fourth year student, Ardash enjoys going out with his friends, watching horror movies and reading fantasy books while trying to keep up with his university work.

Blog Tour Arrow of the Mist by Christina Mercer

Title: Arrow of the Mist 

Author: Christina Mercer
Publication Date: March 21st 2013
Genre: YA Fantasy

Buy It: Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Terror strikes the Celtic inspired kingdom of Nemetona when barbed roots breach the veil of a forbidden land and poison woodsmen, including 15-year-old Lia’s beloved father. Lia and three others embark on a quest to the forbidden land of Brume to gather ingredients for the cure. But after her elder kinsman is attacked and poisoned, she and her cousin, Wynn, are forced to finish the quest on their own.

Lia relies on her powerful herbal wisdom and the memorized pages of her late grandmother’s Grimoire for guidance through a land of soul-hungry shades, trickster creatures, and uncovered truths about the origin of Brume and her family’s unexpected ties to it. The deeper they trek into the land, the stronger Lia’s untapped gift as a tree mage unfolds. When she discovers the enchanted root’s maker, it forces her to question everything about who she is and what is her destiny. Ultimately she must make a terrible choice: keep fighting to save her father and the people of the lands or join with the power behind the deadly roots to help nature start anew.

About the Author:

Christina Mercer writes fiction in addition to mothering two young adults, a pack of large dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees. Her varied interests prompted her to study creative writing, earn her official degree in Accounting, become a CPA, acquire a certificate in Herbal Studies, and keep honeybees. She took Writer’s Best in Show at the 2012 SCBWI CA North/Central Regional Conference and was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakout Novel Award Contest. You can find her at her website or working as the Reviews Director at Indie-Visible 

Check here for the complete tour.

Excerpt

Granda Luis halted and turned Dobbin to face his troop. The chilled air tugged at his cloak and swept through his winter white hair. His eyes shone from his face and the young trio drew their horses back a few steps.

“We’ve a straight and narrow trail ahead. We’ll go in single file—”

“A narrow trail?” Lia cut in. “But, I thought it’d be some kind of, well, secret passage or something. How is it that only you and Grandma made it through the fog safely? Why didn’t others just follow behind, track your steps?”

“There were many who tried.” His voice turned morose. “Even after all m’warnings. Men hovering in the wooded outskirts, creeping in the grasses, waiting till I was snug enough within the fog before charging in behind me, their lives over before I could utter a word. Because you see, as with most gates, there are guards.”

Lia’s eyes widened. She cast a glance at Wynn, whose jaw hung, and at Kelven whose face was like stone. 

Granda Luis added, “But not to worry, our passage was assured long ago.”

Lia opened her mouth, but held her tongue as Granda turned Dobbin around and headed him toward the perilous boundary. Guards? How is that possible? The notion of it chilled her like an icy deluge. Then the words from the Grimoire echoed inside her head: 

Fogged, bogged gates of Brume, barrier to my home;

Timeless, faceless watchers loom, but I am allowed to roam.

“Come on, Dobbin. ’Tis all right, boy, steady now,” Granda Luis cajoled. Dobbin snorted and flipped his head up and down. “I was afraid o’this. He’s strong as a bull, but nervous as a cat, nothing like his fearless sire who’d brazen out the fog without a wink. Come on, boy, walk!” He struggled to move Dobbin forward, but the animal reared and the other horses backed away.

Kelven rode up and neared the anxious horse. “Luis, sir, I think I can help.” He dismounted Koby and commanded him with a mere nod, and his mount stood stock-still.

Kelven approached Dobbin and whispered words that Lia couldn’t make out. He placed one hand on Dobbin’s muzzle and used his other to caress the sorrel-colored mane. Dobbin settled, finally stilled, and whinnied softly. Lia reveled in Kelven’s poise, her fears ebbing like a receding tide.

Kelven reached into his leather jerkin and brought out a carrot, feeding it to the calmed animal while he stroked his coat. “If you’ll allow me to lead as we go through this fog, we could pull him through to the other side. He’d feel better, I think, following another horse in.”

With his brow knitted, Granda Luis replied, “All right, but listen to me carefully; you must stay to the trail, keep your eyes to it at all times, as that’s the only way to ensure we don’t get lost in the mists. I’ll be stopping us mid-way to leave a few offerings.”

Well, that might explain the separate pack of ale and bread, Lia surmised. Then she shuddered to think about what sort of creature could subsist in the fog.

Ropes connected the small band, led by Kelven astride his horse Koby, with Wynn and his dapple-gray Nolan bringing up the rear. The procession eased into the mists, and the air turned frigid, like the breath of a cave.

Merrie’s ears twitched and she snorted. Light dimmed to mere shadows and Lia barely made out Dobbin’s tail swishing in front of her. She pulled her cloak tighter, leaving only her face exposed to the chill. The wall of fog enveloped them, with only the horse’s rhythmic hoof beats to break its eerie silence. 

No turning back now, Lia thought.