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Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes by MR Noble – Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
Blindsided by an attack that destroys her home and blamed for murder, Karolina Dalca, a half-vampire, escapes, only to plunge into the magical societies from which she was sheltered.
Betrayed by those around her, she abandons her dreams of becoming an investigator and flees, trusting only herself. Her police internship would never prove more useful. Hoofing it through the wilderness, she makes it to her university dorm, disheveled but delightfully deflowered.
Enter a full vampire: one wielding dark magic and a ride out of Canada. A fugitive from the law, Karo complies with his demands to escape, unsure whether his requests are bewitched. She vows to clear her name and avenge her mother’s death, but Karo’s family secrets aren’t so easily left behind.
About the Author
M. R. Noble has played a tug of war between science and art her whole life, but the rope broke when she wrote the first line of The Dark Eyes Series. Immersed up to her keyboard in paranormal romance and urban fantasy, she enjoys blending the real with the surreal. The only drawback is she misplaces her mug while dreaming up her next scene, and soon finds herself six cups overpoured.
Keeping to her Lake Simcoe roots, she is a member of the Writers Community of York Region (WCYR), where her muse is made not found . . . over a hefty cup of coffee.
Links
https://mrnoblefiction.com/about/
https://www.facebook.com/M.R.Noblefiction/
What I Thought
This is a book that very much puts you straight into the action and it did take some unpicking to understand the rules of the supernatural world we are suddenly immersed in.
To my mind the ‘delightful deflowering’ came out of nowhere and I’d have liked a little more character development before it happened, it’s also barely ‘on page’ and occurs just after the death of her mother so I’m not sure it had the right impact on the reader.
I did enjoy the story much more when the character Andre was introduced and the dynamic between him and Karolina was engaging. Also the mafia style supernatural underworld was intriguing and the fight scenes dramatic.
Karo does, in general, make some quite questionable decisions and I’d have liked to have seen a little more psychological development to her character – she seems quite reactive at times.
Auntie Miruna was an awesome character who really came alive on the page and I’d have loved more time with her.
The mix of vampires and magic was unique and I loved the visual imagery of lightning magic. The writing could have been tighter to manage this really interesting premise.
Thank you to The Write Reads and the author for providing an e copy of the book for the purposes of this honest review. Do check out the other stops on the tour.
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Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston – #TheWriteReads #UltimateBlogTour #BookReview
So pleased to be one of the bloggers kicking off the blog tour for – the next big MG series – which releases on 21.1.2021.
About the Book
“Sharp, funny and brightly imaginative – a big adventure filled with magic and heart”
Jessica Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of the Nevermoor series
An epic middle grade supernatural adventure series, soon to be a major movie starring Marsai Martin. Perfect for readers aged 8+ and fans of Percy Jackson, Nevermoor and Men in Black!
Amari Peters knows three things.
Her big brother Quinton has gone missing.
No one will talk about it.
His mysterious job holds the secret . . .
So when Amari gets an invitation to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain this is her chance to find Quinton. But first she has to get her head around the new world of the Bureau, where mermaids, aliens and magicians are real, and her roommate is a weredragon.
Amari must compete against kids who’ve known about the supernatural world their whole lives, and when each trainee is awarded a special supernatural talent, Amari is given an illegal talent – one that the Bureau views as dangerous.
With an evil magician threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is the enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton . . .
About the Author
B. B. Alston lives in Lexington, SC. Amari and the Night Brothers is his debut middle grade novel. When not writing, he can be found eating too many sweets and exploring country roads to see where they lead.
Cover artwork/illustrations from rising star artist Brittany Jackson
What I Thought
When a book is blurbed by a favourite author you go in with high expectations and I was not disappointed.
The Men in Black vibes are strong with this one but with the added familial drama the stakes are personally high and that makes for a gripping read.
For me this was like reading a total mash up of Skulduggery Pleasant, Nevermoor, Artemis Fowl, Harry Potter with a dash of lots of other things. It is at once familiar and original.
In this hidden world, magic and technology collide. For everyone who was confused about why the wizarding world didn’t embrace muggle technology this one is for you, and I have a feeling we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to both of these elements.
The cast of characters is strong, although you are never quite sure who to trust. The Night brothers of the title are not the only challenge our heroine has to face.
New roommate and best friend Elsie is the trainee Q to Amari’s trainee Bond. And there are plenty of punerific names for the side characters. Love a good pun so found myself highly amused on a number of occasions.
Amari Peters herself is one determined girl and her pre supernatural world experience sets her up well for what she faces at the Bureau. There were more than a few moments where she describes her experience, without naming it as such, as akin to facing racism and I felt my throat hitch. And how she chooses to prove everyone wrong about her is just Amari-Amazing. I really enjoyed Marsai Martin’s performance in Little and I think she’ll make an awesome Amari and depicting this moment needs that quiet surety she has. This has the potential to be a huge movie franchise with big budget special effects, a thrilling plot and moments of tenderness.
The ending opens up a greater crossover between her two worlds and I can’t wait for book two. In the meantime I’m trying to find a signed mega fancy first edition because this is one I’ll be re-reading and adding to my list of MG (and all time) favourites. It’s also got me itching to get back to editing my first NaNoWriMo novel – though I’ve promised some friends I’ll finish a more recent one first. It’s got to be a good book when it has me itching to pick up my writing pen again.
Thank you to Dave at TheWriteReads and the publishers for the gifted copy for the purposes of an honest review. I loved the shiny ARC and there was no way I was sending it back unread. Great marketing btw! Do check out the rest of the stops for features and other reviews. The blog tour runs from today until 3rd Jan with multiple stops a day.
kirstyes 