The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa (ARC)

The Iron Traitor (Call of the Forgotten #2)
Julie Kagawa
Pub Date: October 29, 2013

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for - his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all. 

Ethan Chase can't seem to keep his feet in the real world. He just got back from the Nevernever and already his conscious to help a family member is guilting him back in. Anwyl, Keiran's summer fey girlfriend is on the verge of fading into nonexistence, which happens to all fey since the mortal realm has become a world of nonbelievers. Anwyl has accepted her fate, but Keiran refuses to lie down, determined to find a cure for her and all the other Forgotten trying to hold on. Unfortunately, he's willing to risk not only his life to save her, but as the journey takes it's toll and his soul begins to corrupt, he's willing to risk a hell of a lot more.

 

Keiran was a bit frustrating for me in The Iron Traitor. And with a title like that and knowing the prophecy regarding both Ethan and Keiran, you know what's coming, and you're forced to just sit there and watch a guy deteriorate in a way that will cause him to turn his back on his own family, consequences be damned. Sad thing is, Ash even told him there were other ways to go about it, but he still continues on doing his own thing, making more questionable moral risks with each fiasco. But still, his desperation makes you kind of hurt for the guy too.

 

I can honestly say I enjoyed this installment of the Iron Fey better than the first. The story was more captivating, I actually cared about what happened to the characters, and for once, I didn't want to use Kenzie's face as a punching bag. I won't lie - Megan, Ash and Puck are such compelling characters that they will forever steal the spotlight, but Ethan, Kenzie and Keiran are becoming respectable runner-ups.

ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for an honest review.

YA Faeries & Fantasy Giveaway Hop! (INT)

For this giveaway I'm offering up a SIGNED COPY of a darker faerie tale, DUST (Of Dust and Darkness #1)!

Voted

Best I've Read 2012!

 

 "DUST is filled with beautiful imagery, unforgettable characters and a vivid look into the darker side of human (or fae!) nature." JA Redmerski, author of The Edge of Never.

"This is so NOT a Tinkerbell tale...as this story is dark and illustrates the cruelty faeries are often capable of. And they can be very cruel!" Michele at The Reading Lark.

4. The number of times my delicate wings have been broken and clamped behind my back.
68. The number inked upon my skin, marking me the sixty-eighth pixie to be stolen.
87. The number of days I’ve been wrongfully imprisoned.
88. The first day the faeries will regret stealing me.

Healthy. Cheery. Vivacious. All traits Rosalie has before becoming enslaved by the faeries to make an endless supply of pixie dust. Now that Rosalie has been traumatized by slave labor, extreme desolate conditions and multiple deaths, this hardened pixie is anything but. When this rebellious teenager attempts an escape, she’s isolated in cramped quarters until she learns her place. Just as she begins to let go of all that hope, she finds an unlikely friend in Jack, the faerie assigned to guard her. Interspecies dating is forbidden in the fae world, so their growing attraction is unacceptable. And even if Jack can find a way to free her, they know the prison is the only place they can truly be together.
 

 ***Check out my other GIVEAWAYS in the header text***

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The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa (ARC)

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey : Call of the Forgotten #1)
Julie Kagawa
Exp. Pub: October 23, 2012 TOMORROW!!!

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them. That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (ARC)

The Iron Knight
Julie Kagawa
Pub: October 26, 2011

Synopsis: Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I never thought I'd say this about any character in any book, but I am sooo...

This is the first I've reviewed of the series, and I have to admit that The Iron Queen is actually my favorite and the best of the four. But...I love finally getting the story from Ice-Boy's point of view. A human lost in Faery, Meghan's fish out of water POV was fun to follow, but I often wondered went on behind the ever cold glares of the Winter Prince.

Note: Spoilers ahead if you haven't read the first three books!

In The Iron Queen, Meghan released Ash from the duty of being her sworn knight, ultimately untethering their bond and sparing his life. And before she transfered the power of the Iron King into the land itself, she ordered Ash to leave the Iron Realm and to never come back, knowing he would otherwise, even though the iron would kill him in a heartbeat now that his protective charm was spent. Who knew once Meghan gave the power to the Iron Realm itself that the land would turn around and return the favor, healing her injuries and making her the official Iron Queen. But what's done is done. Meghan now an Iron faery, and Ash a Winter faery, the two realms would not be allowed to marry...not that Ash could survive in Meghan's kingdom anyway. Having sworn that he would do whatever it takes to be by her side to love and protect her, Ash journeys beyond the end of the faery world in search of a soul.

Along with Puck, the Cat Sith, and two more unexpected allies, five members of the faery world travel beyond the end of the world and through the gauntlet so Ash can go through the trials to earn a soul. Becoming human is the only way in which Ash can stand beside Meghan, but does he really know what it means to have a soul? Subjected to physical weakness, lack of magic, a conscience and mortality, Ash is forced to endure everything that is beautiful - and deadly - about being human. When he realizes he'll never be able to physically protect Meghan again, will he really go through with accepting a soul, or remain the ever strong Winter Prince to protect her from afar...even if it means being apart forever?

Friendships will be tested. Actions will have consequences. Lives will be lost. And the deathly duel hanging over the heads of Ash and Puck will finally come to an end.

What can I say about The Iron Knight? Well, most likely you've already beaten me to this novel. I can only say I'm sorry it took me this long to read the last two books. What I really enjoyed about following Ash was getting a glimpse of the decades he spent as the Winter Prince. Temporarily given a soul, he's forced to endure all the cruel, souless things that he did to others through the course of his life...and boy did he do some nasty things. It's like he stood before the pearly gates and was forced to account for every bad thing he ever did. Besides an overwhelmingly guilty conscience plaguing his soul, his lack of magic and strength make him realize just how weak he'll be if he earns a soul and accepts. He'll never be able to protect Meghan, who will undoubtably be under constant attack by members of the other realms. So what's an Ice-Boy to do? Meghan proved to be an exceptionally strong-willed human forced to survive in a magically-influenced land that constantly tried to kill her off. Could Ash atone for his sins and prove himself worthy as well? Guess you'll have to read to find out for yourself! Yeah...I'm cruel that way. But I promise, you'll be rewarded with an ending you won't see coming.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Elemental Reality by Cesya MaRae Cuono

Elemental Reality
Elemental #1
Cesya MaRae Cuono

Synopsis: When Callie Pierce was ten, her mother disappeared without a trace. On the eve of her disappearance twelve years later, the earth seemingly comes alive. The elements speak to Callie, and that's only the beginning. Everything she has ever known was a twisted fabrication to protect her. Now the truth is set free. Callie and her sister are more powerful than any Faerie ever born. Now they have to use their powers to save their mother and family from the evil hands of fate that threaten to tear them apart. Welcome to her elemental reality.

That ending was just wicked. Seriously evil.

Callie and Lola Pierce were born Alkuaine faeries, a rarity in the fae world, which meant their lives were in constant danger from the demons that try to wipe them out and tip the faerie-demon war in their favor. Why? Because the Alkuaine faeries can conjure and manipulate all five elements: earth, wind, fire, water and electricity, which make them hard to destroy. In order to protect their children, their parents fled the faerie world and got lost in the human world. They got a decent decade in before their mother did a disappearing act. It wasn't until they learned what they were another ten years laters did they also learn their mother was taken by a demon. Now grown up and coming into their powers, the truth comes out and the girls are determined to save their mother.

Of course Callie won't have to go through it alone, as her soul mate in the faerie world was drawn to her the moment her powers surfaced. Oli was absolutely delicious. Their interest in one another moves a little fast, as two known soul mates probably would, but it's still clean throughout the novel. That said, their connection sizzled...and their scenes are freakin' HOT!!!  Poor Lola though doesn't feel any kind of pull and is left wondering what, and if, there's a soul mate out there for her.

I'm not one to spoil how the battle turns out, all I can say is the ending is absolutely wicked and has got me dancing impatiently on tiptoes until Battlescars comes out. Elemental Reality was fun, refreshing and the storyline unique, with characters that make you smile.

Novel provided by publisher for honest review.

Cover Reveal for DUST (YA Fae Fantasy), ORDAINED and METAMORPHOSIS (YA Urban Fantasy)

4 - The number of times my delicate wings have been broken and clamped behind my back.

68 - The number inked upon my skin marking me the sixty-eighth pixie to be stolen.

87 - The number of days I’ve been trapped within this cave, a slave to my new enemy.

88 - The first day the faeries will regret stealing me.

Healthy. Cheery. Vivacious. All traits Rosalie has before becoming enslaved by the faeries to make an endless supply of pixie dust. Now this hardened pixie is anything but. When this rebellious teenager attempts an escape, she’s isolated in cramped quarters until she learns her place. Just as she begins to let go of all that hope, she finds an unlikely friend in Jack, the faerie assigned to guard her. Interspecies dating is forbidden in the fae world, so their growing attraction is unacceptable. And even if Jack can find a way to free her, the prison is the only place they can truly be together.

Coming 2013! Find it on GoodReads.

The second cover reveal today is for Ordained. It's been out for a year and I get a lot of remarks that the title and the cross on the cover make people think the novel is filled with religious tones, and it's not. So I decided to go ahead and freshen it up a bit.

Yep, the new version has a little award on it. That's because Ordained recently won the fantasy division over at Reader Views, where readers determine the winners. Since I won, I got a nifty new TRAILER made by Blazing Trailers. You can check it out here.

Normally, the school creates the hunters - not the monsters.

Abby Sorrensten likes to play rough. Ripping the horns off the heads of demons, manipulating lightning and setting things on fire with the flick of your wrist can give you a serious rush. So she probably wasn't the best choice for the Order's experimental training program. Thirteen years of isolation, lack of affection and a bruised and broken body from horrendous training sessions creates more than just an exceptional fighter. It creates an evil within - an evil responsible for the several deaths the night she left.

Two hundred years later Abby resurfaces as the very thing the Order trained her to kill: a vampire. A mythical demon has set his sights on the school and only the ordained hunter has the powers to face it. Unbenknownst to the Order, Abby's their precious ordained one and their only chance for survival. As much as she would love to leave them hanging, she's not willing to risk the life of Emily, a fellow friend and hunter also fed up with the organization.

But for Abby, locking herself away in a fortress filled with angry descendents of those she killed causes suspicions and tensions to run high. Abby must learn the demon's weaknesses for battle before the Order learns hers.

Paperbacks available on Amazon US, UK, DE and FR, and my E-Store.

eBooks available on Kindle US, UK, DE, FR, IT and ES, Nook and Smashwords.

***The paperback is already available but it may take a few days for Amazon to swap the pics.

And since I updated Ordained, I thought I may as well go ahead and update Metamorphosis. :) Which means I'll also have to come up with something new for Catacombs when I release it!

Change is not always a good thing...

Some survived the battle – but not without a price. As one heart starts up again, another dies down. The pure vampires learn their immortality isn't as strong as they'd thought – the status of their hearts determines their vulnerability. And when the truth gets out, a betrayal by one of their own will cost more lives.

***The new cover isn't live on the sites yet but should be by weekend's end.***

Paperbacks available on Amazon US and my E-store.

eBooks available on Kindle US, UK, DE, FR, IT and ES, Nook and Smashwords.