Review: The White (The Dragon Pearl, #1) by T.L. Shreffler @catseyeauthor

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dragons, fantasy, indie author, review, the white, tl shreffler, ya

Ever since The White appeared in our valley of Windridge, my people have lived in fear. But today that fear ends. Finally, the King has sent his most elite dragon hunters to kill The White, the last of the imperial dragons.

Since the death of her father, Sienna Foxburn hasn’t felt safe. The White, a fire-breathing imperial dragon, terrorizes the Valley of Windridge with no end in sight. But Sienna isn’t satisfied hiding behind the walls of her keep. She is tired of fearing the dragon, but she can’t fight it alone.

Then a mysterious sorceress and two elite dragon hunters arrive, claiming to be sent by the King. Thus begins the great hunt for The White. Sienna embarks on a dragon-hunting adventure through the exotic Valley of Windridge, all while uncovering secrets and conspiracies that could endanger the entire Kingdom….

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars
In case the five or so glowy reviews before this had escaped your notice, I am a huge fan of Shreffler’s work. Her other series, The Cat’s Eye Chronicles, has a coveted seat upon my Shelf of Awesome and when I heard she was working on a book with DRAGONS I went a little spastic. This story manages a huge amount of world building, character building, and emotion in a very short space, something that impressed me greatly even with having read her other pieces. It is a fantastic story, even if it did end in a cliffhanger, and I am very much looking forward to watching the series unfold.

The plot:
Everything happens pretty quickly here, which was a nice change for me after a steady diet of epics lately. The plot progresses with only enough world building and description that is necessary (huge plus). My only question issue with this story was Sienna’s empathy toward the dragons. It’s explained, but I wanted to see just a little more expansion of the thought and feeling processes she went through before getting to that point. However, that was my one and only—I wouldn’t even call it a complaint. More like a side note.

It is mentioned somewhere that this has romantic elements, but I would say the focus here was definitely more on the dragons. (And if you have a problem with that, go away.) The general feelings of the populace toward dragons were displayed and justified well in the beginning, but I still found myself sympathizing with the dragons more than the people (which was probably Shreffler’s scheme).

The characters:
This doesn’t happen especially often, but the heroine was my favorite character. In the beginning, Sienna is going through that whole awkward “on the threshold of adulthood but has no focus” stage that I think most of us go through. That won her huge doses of empathy and she was relatable and human to me, unlike a lot of fantasy heroines that have been cropping up.

Darius, the dragon hunter, has that whole aura of mystery and awesome about him and I have lots of questions about his character. What did he do that got him made a dragon hunter? Who was he before? Like I said, lots of questions for sequels!

Mistress Ash is probably the other main character and also the villain. Everything about her creeped me out from the moment she turned up and it became clear pretty quickly that I was right about here. She was an excellent villain to this story, written to make you hate her and as far as I was concerned, she could join the chopping block queue with Cerastes and Volcrian (references to The Cat’s Eye Chronicles).

The other characters, mainly those from Sienna’s home castle, reacted in understandable ways, but…no, I’m not going to be rooting for them any time soon. On the other hand, I thought they were remarkably developed for such a short span of page time and even Sienna’s mother was portrayed as having sympathetic qualities.

All in all, this was a well-written YA fantasy I would shove in the faces of anyone who likes dragon literature. I enjoyed it greatly, it has been a delight to read, and I am anxiously anticipating the next installment in the series!

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Blog Tour Review: Ferran’s Map (The Cat’s Eye Chronicles, #4) by T.L. Shreffler @catseyeauthor

Tags

blog tour, fantasy, Giveaway, the cats eye chronicles, tl shreffler, young adult

The bloodmage Volcrian is dead, but a new enemy lurks in the shadows. The Shade, a fanatical cult of demonic assassins, is trying to resurrect the Dark God and unleash His power back into the world. In their wake, a deadly plague is spreading across the land.

Only Sora and her companions know the plague’s true source. As the disease spreads, she must journey to the City of Crowns to retrieve The Book of the Named, her only hope of stopping the Shade. She and her companions arrive just in time for the winter solstice festival, a notorious two weeks of fine wines, grand parties and legendary debauchery. She must don the guise of a noblewoman and infiltrate the First Tier nobility to stop the Shade before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, the assassin Crash is confronted by a ghost from his past. As he uncovers more of the Shade’s plot, he finds himself face-to-face with his old Grandmaster. Can Crash lay to rest his past, or will he succumb to his inner demon and rejoin the man who once made him a killer?

5 out of 5 stars

So. Many. Feelings. I’m reminded why I said this is my favorite ongoing series, just—WOW. I have been waiting for this book since January 2014, annoying the author at every possible opportunity and throwing the series in the face of anyone who asks for a Young Adult Epic Fantasy recommendation (and sometimes even when they don’t).

The plot:

I was told that this was something like 150K words, but once again, it seems hard to believe because the story moves so quickly. I got caught up in it and after three hours of reading, I started to panic because I realized I was coming to the end. It really wasn’t clear how the author was going to end the book, but I was so emotionally invested I prayed. (It’s not weird to pray over fictional characters, is it?)

The characters:

Sora’s character has matured so very much since we first met her at her Blooming in book 1, yet she still has a kind of sweetness and guilelessness that just melts my heart. I do like reading about a heroine who isn’t another smoldering virago, but still manages to pull off daring adventures. She’s much easier to relate to than most of the Epic Fantasy heroines coming out these days and I love her to bits.

Another character I love to bits and who I consider one of my “babies,” is Crash. Read any of my other reviews and you will see plenty on Crash. His struggles and growth have been equal to Sora’s and it was fascinating to look more into the depths of his psyche and what’s going through his head. His relationship with Sora is sweet, complex, beautiful, and irresistible. I’ll be the first to admit that their story is one of my favorite things about this series and I’m in knots over what’s going to happen in Krait’s Redemption.

One thing that surprised me was the part of the book where we see more of what Crash’s demon actually thinks of Sora. That was one of the most interesting sections and again, leaves me wanting Krait’s Redemption.

Now that I have bombarded you with those paragraphs of Crash+Sora fangirling, I should point out this series does have other characters—not that you would know that by reading my previous reviews.

I kind of missed Burn and wished we’d gotten to see just a little more of him, but I was very happy about how much “screen time” Caprion had. There was the subplot of him and his past experiences with the Sixth Race and thanks to reading the prequel novella, I was almost as invested in that vein as I was the one about Crash+Sora. Even if Caprion was always the first to think the worst of my darling little Crash, I could forgive him because it made sense from his perspective.

We learn a great deal about the namesake of this book, Ferran, and his past as well as a surprising twist I did not see coming. Him and Lori are so perfect together and yes, I’ve been at my fictional matchmaking again. There were a great deal of questions raised regarding his family’s dealings and just who they’ve gotten mixed up with—yet more things making me salivate over Krait’s Redemption.

I never thought I would say this, but Cerastes has made me miss Volcrian. At least then, it was just one psychotic serial killer and a few wraiths we had to worry about, now we have a sociopathic, mostly-demon cult leader with his little minions and a mission to destroy all life. Cerastes scares me and I can’t wait for someone—preferably Crash—to kill him. (Just as soon as Cerastes finishes off that Daniellan fellow in some imaginative and nasty fashion.)

Then there’s Krait. When she was first introduced, I did not like her at all and now…let’s just say that the next book’s title has me very excited.

There was one character introduced at the beginning of this book, Cobra, another assassin, who freaked me out at first, but I ended up softening toward him at the end. I mean the very, very end. I can’t say much else because of spoilers, but I felt I should at least mention him.

This review has gone on way too long and turned into more of a fangirling session, so I’ll wrap it up by saying the story just keeps getting better and you all won’t be getting away from my passionate fanaticism any time soon.

T. L. Shreffler lives in Los Angeles, CA. She loves diversity, fantasy, romance, iced tea, long walks, philosophy, and thrift store shopping. She recently graduated with a BA in Badass (Creative Writing) and her poetry has been published consecutively in Eclipse: A Literary Journal and The Northridge Review. She is author of The Cat’s Eye Chronicles (YA/Epic Fantasy) and The Wolves of Black River (PN Romance.)

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 Grab your copies of the other books in this fantastical series… 

Sora’s Quest, Cat’s Eye Chronicles book 1 {FREE everyday!}

Viper’s Creed, Cat’s Eye Chronicles book 2

Volcrian’s Hunt, Cat’s Eye Chronicles book 3

Caprion’s Wings, Cat’s Eye Chronicles book 3.5

Ferran’s Map, Cat’s Eye Chronicles book 4

This giveaway is International…

1 winner ~ Paperback copy of Ferran’s Map

1 winner ~ Cat’s Eye necklace

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{Review + Interview + Giveaway} Caprion’s Wings (The Cat’s Eye Chronicles Novella) by T.L. Shreffler @poetsforpeanuts

Tags

caprion's wings, epic fantasy, fantasy, indies, the cats eye chronicles, tl shreffler, ya, young adult

Words cannot express how excited I am to tell you about this book and host T.L. on my blog. So check out my review and T.L.’s interview and don’t forget to click here to download the first book in the series for free!

A novella of The Cat’s Eye Chronicles.
Release Date: February 28th, 2014

By the age of nineteen, all Harpies know how to fly—except Caprion. He has yet pass the test of the Singing and gain his wings. His family has disowned him in shame and people are beginning to talk. Now an evil voice haunts his dreams, taunting him, drawing out his worst fears—that he will remain wingless forever.

Caprion decides to find the root of this insidious voice, no matter what it takes. He journeys to the secret prisons of the Harpy underground, where he meets a young slave named Moss. In those sunless, decrepit cells, a forbidden friendship is formed. Can Caprion and Moss find the source of the voice? And can Caprion save Moss from a terrible fate?

Join young Caprion as he journeys down, down into the earth, finding his wings and forging a friendship that will change him forever.

*Caprion’s Wings is a companion story to The Cat’s Eye Chronicles.

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5 out of 5 stars

I am fangirling so hard right now. This book had me pacing in suspense even though I knew Caprion was going to get his wings and the Harpies were going to be fine and I was fairly confident my favorite/second favorite character would be fine. I cringed, I writhed in suspense, I laughed (in a he’s-going-to-be-your-general-someday-sucker way), and I want Ferran’s Map yesterday.

The plot:

In Volcrian’s Hunt (my review) we meet Caprion, a Harpy general who proves to be slightly less of an SOB than the majority of his compatriots. I kind of wanted to beat him over the head with a shovel for all his pompousness in that book. I wasn’t sure I would be able to overcome that very easily, but I was pulling for him by the end of the second page. Despite knowing he’d be fine, I had several moments of borderline panic and had to stop at a few points and pace until I calmed down because I couldn’t handle the suspense anymore.

The characters:

Like I said, I had a whole new outlook on Caprion by page 2. We get a glimpse into his early struggles and fears and I never would have suspected any of them when reading about him in Volcrian’s Hunt. (Though the fraternal rivalry is hinted at.) Caprion was brave and compassionate and not willing to let the propaganda about the Sixth Race cloud his judgment of Moss and I dare you to read this and not adore him.

In Volcrian’s Hunt, we learn that Crash (an elite assassin of the Sixth Race, my Favorite Character) knew a girl when he was younger who was kinder and sweeter than the Sixth Race generally allows and was abducted by Harpies when she was around thirteen. In Caprion’s Wings, Caprion befriends a girl of the Sixth Race around thirteen whose been taken captive and makes a deal to set her free and return her to the mainland. In Volcrian’s Hunt, :spoiler:we also learn that one of the female assassins of the Sixth Race who’s hunting Crash was abducted by Harpies as a girl and somehow freed and returned to mainland with no memory of how she escaped. :spoiler over: Coincidence? I THINK NOT!!! But I loved Moss and in part because of that I hated the majority of the Harpy race by the end.

Sumas and Dahlia and the Matriarch were just begging for some unspeakable fate in this book. Of course, they kind of were in Volcrian’s Hunt, too (except for Dahlia, who wasn’t in that book). This series does a good job of not making any one group or species all bad or all good, there’s a mix in all the races.

I love, love, LOVE these books and I want Ferran’s Map even more now! (Which I wouldn’t have thought possible.)

T. L. Shreffler lives in Los Angeles, CA. She loves diversity, fantasy, romance, iced tea, long walks, philosophy, and thrift store shopping. She recently graduated with a BA in Badass (Creative Writing) and her poetry has been published consecutively in Eclipse: A Literary Journal and The Northridge Review. She is author of The Cat’s Eye Chronicles (YA/Epic Fantasy) and The Wolves of Black River (PN Romance.)

Caprion’s Wings is a prequel novella telling the backstory of a character introduced in the third book of your YA Epic Fantasy series, The Cat’s Eye Chronicles. Did you always plan to write the novella or was it unexpected? How did you get the idea for it?

Caprion’s Wings was a very unexpected story! You could say it “fell out of the sky” (hur hur hur.) But there is a method to this madness. When I wrote the first version of Cat’s Eye back in 2006, Caprion made a brief appearance at the end of the book, right before Crash and Sora sailed happily off into the sunset (a very different version from what we have in Volcrian’s Hunt.) Readers at that time were very curious about Caprion and wanted to see more of him. So, as I rewrote Volcrian’s Hunt last year, I decided to make a little room for Caprion to continue his story. And he actually has an important role to play in Book 4, particularly with Krait and the Shade, so he fits in nicely!

Caprion is a “seraphim,” a battle-born Harpy with six powerful wings. Seraphims are very rare, so while studying Caprion’s character, I found myself asking a lot of questions: how does one become a seraphim? How does any Harpy gain his wings? And who was Caprion before he became the Matriarch’s right-hand man? I wrote Caprion’s Wings to answer these questions both for myself and for curious readers.

What was your biggest challenge in writing Caprion’s Wings?

Definitely the power play between Caprion, the Matriarch, and a young slave named Moss. The power dynamic between these three characters is very fluid. Caprion finds himself caught between rescuing Moss and appeasing the Matriarch; to save Moss, he must go against his queen, but as a seraphim, he has a duty to serve and protect his race. It became a very complicated scenario to weave! I must have read over it 50 times to make sure there were no plot holes.

Describe Caprion in a tweet—140 characters or less!

A wingless boy struggling to fly: doubtful, desperate, a little untried, but determined to change his lot in life. #CaprionsWings (rhyming intentional lol)

If you could say one thing to any of your characters, what would it be and who would you say it to?

To Caprion’s older brother, Sumas: my gawd are you a jerk! There is no reasonable explanation for just how big a jerk you are! (But as we age, I suppose we run across people who are selfish and competitive for no reason other than to get ahead in life.) Sumas, I wish you many grumpy, jealous and scheming thoughts for years to come….

And now a few questions just for fun…

Favorite mythological creature and why?

Gryphons! Because they are so unlikely….

Favorite overdone storyline?

A girl or boy being transported to another world where they partake in a mysterious, fantastical adventure! (ie. Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, etc.) This gimmick rocks because it allows the reader to retain their perspective on the “real world” while exploring a brand new fantastical world. What an excellent opportunity to discuss social norms, culture, perceived truths and other ideas contrary to what we find “everyday”…

What’s a question you’ve wanted to be asked in an interview? What’s your answer?

Q: Why don’t you write about “tough” heroines who have tons of snarky attitude?

These days it seems like all female characters need to be pumped full of “snark” and “sass” to be “strong.” However, in real life, I find this kind of behavior extremely obnoxious! I don’t think it portrays women very accurately. Some girls (especially in the bookworm realm) are not extroverted, bullheaded and full of attitude. Many of them are quiet, shy, and sweet by nature. By creating similar heroines, I wanted to validate these feminine traits. You don’t need to be a b*tch to be strong.

These snarky characters seem to tell young women NOT to embrace their femininity, but to try to act like men, which I think is destructive. Women occupy a unique role in society. We are the mothers and the nurturers–and that’s just biology. Estrogen is full of gushy, mushy feelings, and that’s okay! We don’t need to compete with men. We need to embrace our unique identity as women. Men need to learn the value of femininity, and if women themselves are denying that value, then I don’t think feminism is doing its job.

As Crash says in Viper’s Creed, “You don’t have to be strong all the time. That’s asking a bit much. You can be soft too, if that is who you are.” It’s OK to be sweet, gentle, naive and young. You really don’t need to be “tougher than the guys” to save the world.

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Blog Tour Dates

2-23-14 | Spotlight Mimsey Style | Please Don’t Feed the Mimsey
2-24-14 | Spotlight/Excerpt | The O’Raven Chronicles
2-25-14 | REVIEW & Theme Song | Lyndsey Lindsay and Jane’s Views and Reviews
2-26-14| Spotlight/Excerpt | Oh My Shelves
2-27-14 | Character 5Q Q&A Caprion | Intisar Khanani
2-28-14 | REVIEW & Would you Rather w/Caprion | TTC Books & More
3-01-14 | Spotlight/Excerpt | A World of Words
3-01-14 | REVIEW & Spotlight | Genieva’s Book Blog
3-02-14 | REVIEW & Author top 10 | Becca Anne’s Book Reviews
3-03-14 | REVIEW & This OR That with Moss | Paranormal Book Club
3-04-14 | REVIEW & Guest Post | Alina Popescu
3-04-14 | REVIEW & Interview | Elisabeth | Inkspelled Faery

Friday Freebie #4 Sora’s Quest (The Cat’s Eye Chronicles, #1) by T.L. Shreffler

Tags

awesome, epic fantasy, fantasy, indie author, kindle freebie, self-published, sora's quest, the cats eye chronicles, tl shreffler, ya, young adult

If you know of any Kindle books that are free today or on upcoming Fridays, I’d love to hear about them! (This book is one of my All Time Favorites and I FREAKING LOVE THE WHOLE SERIES.)

This book is permanently free on Amazon, BN.com, Apple, Kobo and more!

Sora Fallcrest always dreamed of adventure, but as a member of the nobility, she learned the ways of a Lady instead. Now seventeen, she is expected to choose a husband and marry. She plots to run away, but just as she is stepping out the door, she runs into a mysterious man–and is kidnapped.

Abducted from her manor, Sora is plunged into a world of magical races, arcane jewelry and forgotten lore. She finds herself at the mercy of a dangerous assassin, haunted by an even darker past. She yearns for freedom, but he won’t let her go–not when her Cat’s Eye necklace is the only thing that can save his life.

But the necklace itself presents a problem. It is an ancient device from the long forgotten War of the Races, and its magic has the ability to steal souls. Can Sora learn to wield its power — or will the power wield her? (Winner of the SKOW 2006 Best Fantasy Award)

Read my review of Sora’s Quest!

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Review: Volcrian’s Hunt (The Cat’s Eye Chronicles, #3) by T.L. Shreffler @poetsforpeanuts

Tags

awesome, book review, fantasy, indie author, indie book review, indies, magic, self-published, series, the cats eye chronicles, tl shreffler, volcrian's hunt, ya, young adult

A plague is spreading across the land. Crops are rotting. People are dying in the streets. Sora, with the help of her magical Cat’s Eye necklace, is the only one who can stop it.

She must travel overseas to the Lost Isles, a place of legend and mystery. Only there can she destroy the bloodmage, Volcrian, putting an end to the curse. She is accompanied by Crash, a lethal assassin who once threatened—and saved—her life. But Sora is beginning to question her dark companion. He seems to be carrying a secret; a hidden past that could endanger them all.

Meanwhile, they are hunted by an underground society known as the Shade. For centuries, the Shade has waited for the perfect opportunity to step into the light. Now they are perilously close to resurrecting a Dark God and unleashing a wave of unimaginable destruction. They only need to collect the three sacred weapons, and Sora has already found two….

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

Note: This review may be less professional and longer than most because fangirling is likely to occur. You were warned.

This is by far one of my All Time Favorite series. Volcrian’s Hunt picks up a few days after Viper’s Creed left off, with Sora and Co. on board a ship destined for the Harpy islands. It doesn’t take long for the adventure/trouble to start and once it does, there’s never a dull moment! I find myself becoming more and more engrossed in this series, this world, and these characters with each new installment. This is by far one of the better books I have read and Ferran’s Map cannot arrive soon enough for me!

The plot:

This book caps off the word count at over 100k, but it felt much, much shorter. I became so caught up in the story that before I knew it I had reached the end and was yearning for more. The plot is well structured with no loopholes and a cocktail of suspense, action, and magic with a shot of romance. We learn more about the Harpies as well as their archenemies, the Unnamed or the Sixth Race, Crash’s race.

The characters:

I understand that the bad@$$ heroine has come into vogue and while I can be fond of the Xenas and Celaenas, I find a character like Sora, with a certain vulnerability and innocence, to be refreshing. Sora isn’t a fool or completely helpless, but she’s not a smoldering virago either. She does what she does for the sake of doing the right thing and while she has her fears and doubts, it’s her courage that pulls through in the end.

Crash has grown a lot since the first book, but the author still does a good job of reminding us who he is and where he comes from. That doesn’t change the fact that he is my favorite character and I have shipped him with Sora since the scene they met. He’s become very protective of her, but not in a possessive way (possessiveness is overrated in my opinion). I thought I couldn’t adore him any more, then came this one part where :SPOILER: he could have seduced Sora :END SPOILER: and you could tell he wanted to, but didn’t because he respected her and wanted what was best for her. My thoughts at that point were simple—AWESOME!!! If I didn’t already love him to bits, I certainly would now.

On a side note, Crash’s shirts seem have a rather short life expectancy in this book. I didn’t think the poor articles of benign clothing deserved their untimely demises, but if dear T.L. Shreffler disagrees…oh, well.

There was a female character called Krait introduced toward the end of Viper’s Creed of the same race as Crash. I’m not sure why, but I think I like her. She has that certain creepy zealot appeal and I’m looking forward to reading more about her. We also meet Caprion, a Harpy general who becomes fast adversaries with Crash. Caprion came across as a bit lofty and self righteous to me, but I’m kind of wondering if my opinion will change when I read Caprion’s Wings, the prequel novella set to come out in January. Apparently, Caprion and Krait have something in common according to the author’s website and I’m twisting my mind into knots trying to figure it out. I have my suspicions, but…

I thought Volcrian had lost it in the second book, but it was nothing compared to this one. He’s become a psychotic sociopath, hardly able to tell his own thoughts and desires from those of the Dark God who, unbeknownst to him, is using the mage to gain a foothold in the world of the living.

Though the bloodmage is a more than adequate villain, we also see a brief glimpse of Cerastes, Crash’s former mentor, who is bent on reviving the Dark God and ending all life. Though we meet him in only two scenes through the eyes of Krait, it is more than enough to tell he is going to be an unprecedented antihero for Ferran’s Map.

I think I’ve rambled on long enough, so I will sum up by saying this is a YA Epic Fantasy series worthy of obsession and definitely one to watch.

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{Cover Reveal + Giveaway} Caprion’s Wings (The Cat’s Eye Chronicles companion novella ) by T.L. Shreffler

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caprion's wings, Cover reveal, epic fantasy, fantasy, fantasy art, indie author, indies, magic, self-published, series, the cats eye chronicles, tl shreffler, ya, young adult

Today I am psyched to share with you the cover for Caprion’s Wings, a companion novella to one of my All Time Favorite series. So without further ado…behold!

Release Date: January 31st, 2014

By the age of nineteen, all Harpies know how to fly—except Caprion. He has yet pass the test of the Singing and gain his wings. His family has disowned him in shame and people are beginning to talk. Now an evil voice haunts his dreams, taunting him, drawing out his worst fears—that he will remain wingless forever.

Caprion decides to find the root of this insidious voice, no matter what it takes. He journeys to the secret prisons of the Harpy underground, where he meets a young slave named Moss. In those sunless, decrepit cells, a forbidden friendship is formed. Can Caprion and Moss find the source of the voice? And can Caprion save Moss from a terrible fate?

Join young Caprion as he journeys down, down into the earth, finding his wings and forging a friendship that will change him forever.

*This is a novella of The Cat’s Eye Chronicles. If you are new to the series, you can download the first book, Sora’s Quest, for free!

Download Sora’s Quest for FREE (The Cat’s Eye Chronicles, Book 1)

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T. L. Shreffler lives in Los Angeles, CA. She loves diversity, fantasy, romance, iced tea, long walks, philosophy, and thrift store shopping. She recently graduated with a BA in Badass (Creative Writing) and her poetry has been published consecutively in Eclipse: A Literary Journal and The Northridge Review. She works as the assistant editor for the funky and fantastic Tinsel Tokyo Magazine.

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Review: Viper’s Creed (The Cat’s Eye Chronicles, #2) by T. L. Shreffler

Tags

book review, epic fantasy, fantasy, indie author, indie book review, indies, magic, mythology, self-published, series, the cats eye chronicles, tl shreffler, ya, young adult

Sora is having visions. Strange, terrifying visions brought on by her Cat’s Eye necklace, an ancient and magical device. Spurred to action, she leaves her mother’s cabin to find Crash, the mysterious assassin who once changed her life. She is certain that together, they can discover what the necklace is trying to tell her.

Crash is still on the run from the dark sorcerer, Volcrian, but now a plague is spreading across the land. Volcrian’s quest for vengeance has awakened something far more evil than himself; a force that could destroy the entire kingdom. Together, he and Sora must harness the power of the Cat’s Eye and kill the sorcerer before it’s too late….

Find out more at www.catseyechronicles.com

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

I was psyched to start this after finishing Sora’s Quest and I was not in the least disappointed. Here it was confirmed that this is a series I am in love with and on the morning of September 30, you will find me on Amazon, ready to download the next installment. Though we had a bit of a slow start, the rest of the book more than makes up for it and I am so excited for the third I’m like a toddler on Christmas morning.

The plot:

A plague is spreading over the land, caused by a tear between the world of the living and the realm of the dead when Volcrian created his undead wraiths to hunt Crash. Realizing that something must be done, Sora sets out to once again find the assassin and enlist his help. Like I said, the beginning was a bit slow, but once Sora found Crash…you know what, on second thought, it might have just been that I missed Crash…

The characters:

Sora has grown up a lot in the year since her first adventures with the Cat’s Eye. Not only does she have a far better understanding of what the world is and how it works, but she has been practicing her fighting skills and can, for the first time, hold her own against some opponents. Her compassionate side shows clearly on many instances, often to the annoyance of Crash.

We see a good deal more from Crash’s perspective, plunging into the dark depths of his thoughts and demons. He has become increasingly protective of Sora and failing her is his one and only fear. Some questions are answered about his past, but even more are raised. There is one scene I absolutely adore where a Dracian they have just met gets a little too flirtatious with Sora. Crash simply steps up and puts an arm around her, glaring daggers at the Dracian until he backs off. Precious!

Volcrian has completely flipped out at this point. His use of the dark magic and his hatred and lust for revenge have eaten him up like a cancer, consuming his soul. He is even more evil and awesome than in the first and makes for an incredible villain worthy of the Dark Lord Hall of Fame.

There are several new characters, particularly at the end, but the main addition is Laina, a young girl thief Sora rescues from prison. Burn becomes fast friends with her, but for the most part I shared Crash’s opinion of her—that she was trouble and they should get rid of her. Though I was wary of Laina at first, I warmed up to her a bit and I think she makes a good fourth member of their party.

I am hooked on this series like a flipping trout and DYING for Volcrian’s Hunt! If you like your stories with dark magic, ancient secrets, swords, and heart-stopping action, I order you to read these books!

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Review: Sora’s Quest (The Cat’s Eye Chronicles, #1) by T. L. Shreffler

Tags

epic fantasy, fantasy, indie author, indie book review, indies, magic, mythology, review, self-published, series, the cats eye chronicles, tl shreffler, young adult

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Sora Fallcrest always dreamed of adventure, but as a member of the nobility, she learned the ways of a Lady instead. Now seventeen, she is expected to choose a husband and marry. She plots to run away, but just as she is stepping out the door, she runs into a mysterious man–and is kidnapped.

Abducted from her manor, Sora is plunged into a world of magical races, arcane jewelry and forgotten lore. She finds herself at the mercy of a dangerous assassin, haunted by an even darker past. She yearns for freedom, but he won’t let her go–not when her Cat’s Eye necklace is the only thing that can save his life.

But the necklace itself presents a problem. It is an ancient device from the long forgotten War of the Races, and its magic has the ability to steal souls. Can Sora learn to wield its power — or will the power wield her? (Winner of the SKOW 2006 Best Fantasy Award)

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

This review is going to have a touch of fangirling. While I confess that I found the beginning, where Sora spontaneously hatches the idea to run away, a bit awkward, as soon as we get to the Blooming, it’s straight uphill from there. Books like this are why I love Epic Fantasy. I’ve said it many times, but it bears repeating that Epic Fantasy is my one true literary love. This book has earned itself a hard-won place on my very select Shelf of Awesome. This was a story that demanded I finish it and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the characters for weeks. I have unearthed a new series to follow and I am so, so thrilled!

The plot:

I found the premise of the plot to be refreshingly original, but not so different it lost its fantasy flavor. It was set up in such a way that I could breathe when I put it down, but at the same time the story wouldn’t leave me alone. I had to know what would happen and I went and downloaded the sequel the very next day (would’ve been sooner, but I needed Wi-Fi) because I was going into withdrawals.

The characters:

I really liked Sora and I think she is one of the few characters I would actually get along with in real life. She is headstrong, occasionally rash, and stubborn, but intelligent and with a core desire to do what is right. She didn’t whine, but she didn’t back down easily, even when Crash, the assassin, was nonverbally threatening to throttle her. She was compassionate and brave, if a bit naive at first, but still one of my favorite heroines I have encountered recently.

Crash, the assassin, is a mysterious figure who we don’t really learn anything about until the end. I think if I had to sum him up in a word, it would be “awesome.” It is difficult for me to put into words why I like him so much, but I guess it’s just because he is…awesome. It’s kind of hard for me not to grow fond of a ninja-like character shrouded in mystery who has inner monologues that go like this: He [Crash] didn’t waste words while fighting. It was useless to taunt the dead. Crash narrowly beat out Sora as my favorite character and I absolutely loved the part at the end where Volcrian’s wraith—spoiler—and Sora—spoiler—and Crash—spoiler.

There were two other main characters in addition to our villain, of the same race as our villain to boot. Dorian, the Wolfy mage, and Burn, the Wolfy mercenary. Dorian was a fun-loving, light-hearted thief who comes across as something of a little boy forced to grow up too soon. I grew truly fond of him as well as Burn and I couldn’t believe it when the author went and—spoiler.

Years ago, Crash took out a contract on the twin brother of Volcrian, a bloodmage. Now Volcrian seeks revenge for the death of his twin, growing more and more desperate as his searches turn up nothing. Volcrian has been twisted and warped by hatred and bloodlust, but it’s kind of difficult to properly hate his guts when you think about what he has been through. He is the ideal villain—balancing evil with just the right amount of sympathetic qualities to prevent you completely loathing him.

I am a fan of this series, as was confirmed when I read the second one and found it to be as incredible as the first. I am very, very excited for the third book releasing at the end of this month and to fans of fantasy and adventures stories in general, I cannot recommend this book enough!

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