Monday, May 26, 2014

The Beast of Callaire



The Beast of Callaire by Saruuh Kelsey
Published May 20th, 2014
Genre: YA Fantasy/Mythology

Yasmin is a descendant of the Manticore. A creature of Persian mythology. A Legendary.
But she doesn’t want to be. Unlike the Legendaries in The Red, Yasmin wants nothing more than an ordinary life. She tries to fool herself into believing that she doesn’t change into a beast every full moon and savagely kill innocent people.
But when Yasmin starts hearing a voice in her head and is drawn into dreams that aren’t her own, she is led to Fray—a girl who once saved Yasmin from hunters, who has shadowy memories that hint at her having Legendary magic—and Yasmin is catapulted into a life of Majick and malevolence.
Despite the danger around her and Fray, Yasmin might finally have a chance at being a normal girl with a normal girlfriend. But with Legendaries being killed, a war between the Gods brewing, and the beast inside Yasmin becoming stronger each moon, her mundane life is little more than a dream.


Yasmin the young woman, the beast, or the telepath? It doesn't seem to matter which Fray gets she can handle all three which is something no one else has been able to do Yasmin's whole life.  But it's Fray that no one seems to understand, and that needs protection,  and Yasmin, Yasmin's brother Guy, and the academy that are going to do just that.  No one is sure what is so special about Fray yet but they know she is special and needs to be guarded from the Red, meanwhile keeping themselves alive.  In the meantime Yasmin has not only kindled a new relationship with Fray but also brought back a lot of older relationships with friends she had stopped seeing, especially ones from the academy.  But Yasmin and her brother, Guy really get back together and renew their relationship, as her brother helps protect her from those hunting them, especially the hunters after the beast that keeps killing the locals.  Will Yasmin ever figure out the secret between her and the beast?  The secrets about Fray?

This book is action packed and exciting from the first chapter, and never lets up.  I was so lucky to be pick to review this book, because it is such a good book.   Face paced, action around every page, and ok ok, there was some romance, but did I tell you about how much action , magic, and paranormal stuff was packed into this book? I think author Saruuh Kelsey has put something for everyone into this book.  Once you get started you will not want to put it down, it is that good.

FIVE STARS


Saruuh Kelsey is the author of the Lux Guardians series. Her debut and the first in series, THE FORGOTTEN, a YA science fiction set in Victorian London and London 25 years in the future, is out now for free. Book two, THE REVELATION, releases October 7th. THE BEAST OF CALLAIRE, the first novel of a new YA fantasy series, with a same sex paranormal romance, is out May 20th.

The Giveaway:
2 Beast of Callaire paperbacks and one swag pack consisting of a paperback, postcards, stickers, and a tote bag open Internationally.
Embed: a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

 Except from the book:
 
The wood is beautiful through these eyes, but I wish I could choose what they looked at. The edges of the leaves are crisp, the flat green my human eyes would see is brought into bright relief. But I only see what the beast wants to see, so I can’t focus on each brilliant new thing because I’m wary and paranoid of what the beast will be drawn to next. A squirrel—a rabbit—a stray human wandering along the trail.

I could kill someone and I wouldn’t be able to stop it. My jaws would rip flesh from bone and I’d be paralysed in my mind, watching the horror as it happens. I know because it’s happened. Six times. Thankfully, four of those people got away with only claw welts or bite marks. But two of them are dead because of me.

One was a girl no older than nine. I killed her when I was fourteen, before I’d become used to the Change, before the beast had settled into its control of my body. Now it only kills for sport, not by accident, and mostly it hunts small animals. Easy prey. Even in Manticore form, I’m a coward. I’m glad of it.

The second person I killed was a middle aged man last year. He had a gun pointed at my friend Willa as she lounged in the pool of Almery Wood. I’m not sure whether he meant to kill her for spoils or just for the hell of it, but I don’t regret killing him as much as the young girl. It still haunts my nightmares sometimes, though, his glazed green eyes and slack, wrinkled face.

I still don’t know why the beast killed to save my friend. Maybe there’s the smallest connection between the two of us, between girl and monster. But as the leaves are ripped beneath large, golden paws I’m not so sure. The Manticore is a creature made of bloodlust and vicious intentions. I doubt there’s any part of it that cares about anyone other than itself.

The beast steps into a clearing lit by moonlight and shakes out its fur, the feathers of its wings tickling my ears—its ears. I shake my head instinctively to get rid of the irritation but the beast’s head stays still. It doesn’t care about what aggravates me. I doubt it even knows what aggravates me. I might have thoughts but this creature is mindless.

The beast turns suddenly, my head spinning with the motion, and it regards the trees, all tall and close together, their braches reaching out and speckled with leaves. My hearing strains for a noise—I’m not sure what startled the beast.

A low, guttural growl comes from the depths of the beast’s stomach and I finally see what the Manticore heard. A middle aged man comes from behind a wide trunked service tree, the vibrant leaves contrasting against the intentionally dark brown of his jacket. He meant to blend in, whoever this man is. I futilely try to urge the beast away, to turn and run, but the Manticore will never back down.

I can tell by the rumble coming from its mouth—my mouth—and the way its claws are ripping up the earth that it’s going to attack. I’m going to kill another person. The terror and dread wants to churn my stomach but my body is no longer mine. It poisons my mind instead, fills me with visions of bloody limbs and skin torn open.

By the time the man has produced a gun from behind his back it’s too late for me to realise he’s a hunter and too late for the beast to react to the threat. The hunter fires his shotgun and absolute, blinding agony shocks through me, uniting Yasmin and the Manticore for one second in merciless pain.

But then the beat is lumbering to its feet, paws gripping for purchase, and I’m reminded that I don’t decide what happens with my body. It’s a detached, lonely feeling, and at the same time the worst terror imaginable. For something to decide where you go, what you do, what you see …

The beast races out of the clearing and around tree trunks, its usual speed affected by the gunshot wound in its shoulder. The pain seems to pulse louder in my head, becoming something dark and large and demanding. I’m not sure how much longer I can stand this.

I’m sure, suddenly, that I’m going to die. And in this moment, dying as the beast is the worst thing I can think of.
The beast’s ears prick to the sound of footsteps but by now it can’t move at all. All it can do is raise its large head, pull downy wings around itself as a flimsy, useless shield, and watch as the owner of the footsteps nears us.

Wide, green eyes are right in front of my eyes, bushy brown eyebrows drawn low and accompanied by a frown. A girl. A girl in the woods. Thank you, I think at this stranger but I have no Majick in this form so she doesn’t hear my gratitude. This is an angel come to deliver me a swift death, to save me from this excruciating feeling.

I relinquish my grip on consciousness and let the waiting blackness swallow me.
 









Tuesday, May 20, 2014

I read YA


A-Word

http://sohopress.com/the-a-word-blog-tour/
 

WOW What a wonderful book, so amazing.  Having missed out on the first book I felt a little lost but not for long. I quickly caught up, who knew guardian angels could do so much, but had so many rules, with such big consequences if the rules are broken.  And poor Jenna stuck in the middle off all of it.  This book is not like any other angel book you have read it is kind of, well, real, you can put yourself in the book and see it happening, it is dare I say wholesome.  There is a tiny bit of romance but for the most part it is a supernatural mystery with some humor thrown in for good measure, oh and don't forget the on going action.  It is just a wonderful, clean, moving story especially the sub story about Jenna and her brother Casey. The A-Word might have supposed to have be been angel
but I thing the A is for Awesome, it was So good I just had to order the first book to see exactly what I was missing from the beginning, and I can't wait for it to get here!

 
Jenna Samuels and her guardian angel brother Casey battle heavenly head-honchos and earthbound bullies in this Texas-set follow up to The Sweet Dead Life.

 
It's been almost a year since Jenna Samuel stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust and returned as her guardian angel.  A year since Casey and his "angel boss," Amber Velasco, saved Jenna's life and helped her foil the bad guys - more or less.  A year in which Jenna has solved the true mystery of the universe how to get one Ryan Sloboda to ask her out.
 
Jenna is feeling mighty cheery about life and love.  But Casey whose doomed relationship with Lane Philips (who has no idea her boyfriend is, well dead) isn't doing much to distract him, has his own big question.  Why is he still around?
 
Bo Shivers, a heavenly head honcho Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed might have the answer.  Bo knows something big is coming.  Something that might just change everything for Jenna Samuels who once again finds herself up to her non-winged shoulders in heavenly secrets of global proportions - just as she's finally found the perfect Homecoming dress.