Dark Humor & Mythological Twists // REVIEW: Yama's Lieutenant and the Stone Witch by Anuja Chandramouli

Title: Yama's Lieutenant and the Stone Witch
Author: Anuja Chandramouli
Publication Date: July 24th 2017
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 2 of the Yama's Lieutenant Series
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin Random House India
Buy Links:  Amazon IN ||  Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam

Blurb Description: As Yama's Lieutenant, Agni Prakash, has diligently been tracking down demons and spirits that threaten peace on earth and dispatching them to his lord's thousand hells. Danger is a constant in his job, but this time an apocalypse threatens his entire world. Agni must go up against a terrifying sorceress-adept in the ancient art of stone magic-and her bestial army of demoniacal creatures who used to be humans before they were transformed into willing killing machines. The witch has a nightmarish vision for a new world that involves large scale culling of the humans-and it falls to Agni to stop her. He must find the Samayakalas, the mysterious keepers of time and reset the clock before all life is destroyed. However, any contact with the Samayakalas is forbidden to mortal and immortal alike and those who flout the ancient decree risk incurring punishment far worse than death. The price asked of him is an impossible one, but Yama's Lieutenant does not have a choice. Enlisting the help of old friends, he must submit to being borne across an ocean of death and destruction to find the Samayakalas before darkness engulfs them all.

As I always say during the beginning of my reviews of books by Indian authors, I don’t read a lot of them. Maybe because the first books I was exposed to were such commercialized fiction that they barely had a story but REGARDLESS, I haven’t read much Indian fantasy. Or Indian anything, really.

And yet, after reading this book, I feel like I should be re-evaluating my decisions.

Yama’s Lieutenant and the Stone Witch was this gorgeous modern spin on an Indian myth that was dark, gripping and had this morbid sense of humour that reminded me of Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight and I LOVED IT.

Let’s break this down:

WRITING:

This was my first book by the author, Anuja Chandramouli, and I loved her style of writing and the way she brought a character as jaded and hurting as Agni Prakash to life through it so much that the minute I reached the end and found out that she is a bestselling Indian author, I wasn’t even surprised. Yama’s Lieutenant had some brilliant writing, whether it was being told from the main character’s point of view or also the stories in between that made all the pieces come together.

PLOT:

It took me a while to get used to how this book was plotted – one chapter from our main character’s point of view and one from another person that was somehow used to give us more insight into the story. It threw me a little in the beginning, especially because I hadn’t read book one and didn’t know if this was how that was plotted out too.

Very soon, I found myself opened to not getting the story from not only Agni Pakash’s viewpoint but also from a lot of others and it really pulled the whole story together. The plot itself was so well thought out but no spoilers so you’ll just have to read it for yourself.

CHARACTERS:

I wasn’t expecting to love Agni Prakash as much as I did. He was a rough sweetheart and I understood him immediately. While the whole dark nature of the book and the writing reminded me of Nevernight, Agni himself initially came of a little like The Hound from Game of Thrones, but with a polar opposite relationship to his sibling.

He was a deep, complex character to get to know and I loved every minute I was in his head, looking at the visions from his eyes and fighting with him.

CONCLUSION:

If you’re looking for a richly told book with Indian mythology, dark humour and a main character flawed and yet, perfect, look no further than Yama’s Lieutenant and the Stone Witch. 

Anuja Chandramouli is a bestselling Indian author and New Age Indian Classicist. Her highly 

acclaimed debut novel, Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince, was named by Amazon India as one of the top 5 books in the Indian Writing category for the year 2013. Kamadeva: The God of Desire and Shakti: The Divine Feminine are her other bestsellers. Currently all three books are being translated into Hindi, Marathi, Gujarathi and Bengali, a real achievement for one so young. Her brand new book, an epic fantasy called Yama’s Lieutenant has received an overwhelming response.

An accomplished orator, she regularly conducts workshops on Creative Writing, Story Telling and Mythology in schools, colleges and various other platforms. Her motivational speeches have also been well received. According to Chandramouli, her work with youngsters in the rural belt helping them improve their Spoken English and Writing skills has been woama

nderfully satisfying and enriching. 

This happily married, mother of two little girls, lives in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. She is a student of classical dance and Yoga. Currently, she is hard at work on an awesome new adventure with Yama’s Lieutenant.

Stay in touch with her on: Facebook and Twitter 

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Have you read any books by Anuja Chandramouli? What are some of your favourite books with Indian characters? 

I can't wait to hear from all you!

A Deeply Woven, Must Read Fantasy // REVIEW: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Title: The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1)
Author: Rin Chupeco
Publication Date: March 7th 2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1/3 of The Bone Witch Trilogy
I Got A Copy Through: The Publisher via NetGalley (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || The Book Depository || Kobo || Books A Million || Google Play Books || 

Blurb Description: The beast raged; it punctured the air with its spite. But the girl was fiercer.
Tea is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy makes her a bone witch, who are feared and ostracized in the kingdom. For theirs is a powerful, elemental magic that can reach beyond the boundaries of the living—and of the human.
Great power comes at a price, forcing Tea to leave her homeland to train under the guidance of an older, wiser bone witch. There, Tea puts all of her energy into becoming an asha, learning to control her elemental magic and those beasts who will submit by no other force. And Tea must be strong—stronger than she even believes possible. Because war is brewing in the eight kingdoms, war that will threaten the sovereignty of her homeland…and threaten the very survival of those she loves.

It’s taken me a while to get through this book, but now that I’m done, I find that it’s occupying all of my thoughts. I’ve been thinking of Tea, Fox, the daeva, the rest of the Asha, the Willows and the asha-ka so often, it’s only slightly discerning.

Basically, The Bone Witch is a deep, gorgeous fantasy filled with exquisite power, dark creatures and a characters that will stay with you long after they’re gone.

“The perhaps we should carve a world one day where the strength lies in who you are, rather than in what they expect you to be.”

Tea Pakhlavi used to be nobody. Until the day she raised her brother from the dead, on the day of his own funeral.

In the kingdom of Odalia, Bone Witches are ones to avoid. They can raise the dead and compel the living and are the only witches that can control the daeva, creatures made out of nightmares that want nothing but death and destruction.

Tea is taken away from her home, and her country to live with other Asha – the most powerful of witches. As a Dark Asha with immense power, Tea is quickly introduced to a world of scheming, darkness and power that is hidden under a mark of beauty, grace and perfection.

And the world will never be the same for it.

“This is my new family. This is my new identity. I will be the bone witch the kingdom fears, and I will make them pay.”

One of the things I loved the MOST about the book WAY the story was told – the first with Tea where she began as an Asha Novice, and to where she is now, an exiled bone witch with immeasurable power in the Bay Of Skulls, plotting her revenge against everyone that wronged her.

It was such an intense feeling, seeing her begin as someone who didn’t know what she was capable of to a force to be reckoned with and IT MADE ME LOVE HER ALL THE MORE. While this book was the start of her path, I CANNOT WAIT for Rin Chupeco to fill in the blanks.

Another thing I loved was the ATTENTION TO DETAIL. Whether it was politics, secondary characters, the plot or the magic, this book HAD IT ALL. There were so many characters and places and kingdoms that overwhelmed me at first but WOW did it all come together and make me fall in love.

One of the things I DISLIKED was the slow pace of the beginning, and it took FOREVER (about 30%) of the book for me to even feel like I was enjoying it.

However, the only thing that REALLY bothered me was the relationship between Prince Kance and Tea. It felt like SUCH A CLICHÉ PLOT POINT AND I WANTED TO ROLL MY EYES. Apart from a few interactions, we SUDDENLY hear that OH DAMN “Stay away from the Prince” and “You’re a danger to him.” And I a) WAS NOT FEELING IT and b) could not FATHOM the romance between then and c) WAS NOT FEELING IT.

Will I be reading the sequel? HELL YES.

Will I be hoping to see more Dark Magic? UHM YES.

A deeply woven, must-read fantasy book for all lovers of the genre (and an anti-hero.) 4 stars.

Despite an unsettling resemblance to Japanese revenants, Rin always maintains her sense of hummus. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. Dances like the neighbors are watching.

She is represented by Rebecca Podos of the Helen Rees Agency. She is also fond of speaking in the third person, and may as well finish this short bio in this manner. While she does not always get to check her Goodreads page, she does answer questions posed to her here as promptly as she is able to. Find her at the following places instead: 
Twitter: @rinchupeco Pinterest: Rin Chupeco Blog: rinchupeco.com

Have you read any previous Rin Chupeco books? 

Have you read The Bone Witch? ISN'T IT GORGEOUS?

Nicky Peacock - Traitor's Gate (I'm Eighteen #6)

I have with my today Nicky Peacock, author of Traitor's Gate! I haven't read her book yet, but it certainly sounds exciting and I will be soon.

Later today will I will be posting the final giveaway - with Serial Publishing House so be sure to check in for that.

And, today, EVERYBODY WINS! Below are the links for you to get a FREE copy of her book, Traitor's Gate. 

Be sure to thank her in the comments!

We'd LOVE to get to know more about you:

 1.  The funniest thing that has ever happened to you:
I have my older brother to blame for most of the funny things that happen to me! So, one Halloween I was at my parent's house while they were on holiday. I came in from work and thought I'd call my brother to see if he wanted to come round for dinner that weekend. As we're chatting on the phone, I walked into the living and started to notice that all my mum's china ornaments were facing the wrong way. They all had their backs to me like in the Blair Witch. I freaked out, and my brother said just to pack a bag and come over to his house. Frantic, I ran upstairs and, just as I grabbed my toothbrush saw that the toilet seat was up. My brother still had a key. I called him back and said some very choice words to him.  I think it annoyed me more that I had called him up, and he'd got to listen to the whole show!

2. Five of your favourite books (cheating is allowed here)
I guess then that I should say my own :) But that would be cheating. Here are five books that I'd recommend:
The Wages of Sin by Jenna Mclaine
The Selection by Kiera Cass
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Cuts by Richard Laymon

3. An author you would kill to collaborate with:Hmmm, there are lots of authors I'd like to kill! No, wait, that's not what you mean ;) Okay, I'd love to get hold of Charlaine Harris and help her re-write her ending to the Sookie Stackhouse series - her last book in it was such a disappointment compared to the others in the series.

And now, moving into your masterpiece:

4. Tell us a little about what inspired you to write Lost in Wonderland.
It was inspired by Alice in Wonderland's 150th anniversary last year. I wanted to write a book that honoured the themes without just transposing the whole story into another genre - and Lost in Wonderland was born. I'm currently working on new books in this series based on other children's books. The second book is The Assassin of Oz, and I'm working on a prequel to the series that is inspired by The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

5. Tell us about the day you found out you were getting published:
My first published book was Bad Blood, and it was a bit of a shock, to be honest. Writing is a lot of work, and it doesn't stop when the book is published, you have to keep promoting and hoping that readers like it and recommend it. Authors only benefit from their books when readers rally behind you.

6. Give us a few songs in your writing playlist!
Music is so important to the writing process. When you write it's kind of like acting; you need to conjure certain emotions on cue and filter them through your words. For Wonderland, I listened to a lot of Imagine Dragons and Against the Current and my favourite song right now is I get to love you by Ruelle.

I guess I’ve always been a storyteller, not in a ‘liar liar pants on fire’ kind of way, although I do work in advertising! When I was little, kids would crowd around me in the playground and I’d tell them tales of blood soaked horror filled with vampires, werewolves, ghosts and more.

Writing was really a natural progression for me. So far I’ve had 35 short stories included in anthologies produced by publishers all over the world; my latest was included in Little Brown Book Group’sMammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories. I have two YA series with the publishers, Evernight Teen:Battle of the Undead and The Twisted and The Brave. 

I run a local adult writers’ group called Creative Minds Writing and have been asked by my local library (Corby, Northants, UK) to run a group for budding authors aged 13-25.

Title: Traitor's Gate

Author: Nicky Peacock

Publisher: Evernight Teen

Publication Date: August 14th 2016

Blurb Description: Only time will tell who the traitors really are… 

Sixteen-year-old Lucinda is getting the home-coming from hell. England is in the grip of the War of the Roses and her tyrant father has promised her hand to a vile man three times her age. In need of aid, she seeks sanctuary with an old childhood friend only to find him accused of treachery and harboring a supernatural secret. All too soon Lucinda is caught in a fight that’s not her own but, to be with the man she loves, she’ll gladly take up arms. 

When you stand at Traitors’ Gate, keep the vampires close, and the zombies as far away as possible! 

14+ due to violence and adult situations

Get the Book on Amazon US!

Get the Book on Amazon UK!

BLOG TOUR: Love Me, Love Me Not by Alyxandra Harvey - Review + Giveaway

Love Me, Love Me Not by Alyxandra Harvey

Publication Date:  February 22, 2016

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Blurb Description: Dating isn’t easy when you’re in the middle of a blood feud.

Anastasia Vila’s family can turn into swans, but just once she’d like them to turn into responsible adults.

After hundreds of years, they still cling to the blood feud with the Renard family. No one remembers how it started in the first place—but foxes and swans just don’t get along.

Vilas can only transform into their swan shape after they have fallen in love for the first time, but between balancing schoolwork, family obligations, and the escalating blood feud, Ana’s got no time for love. The only thing keeping her sane is her best friend, Pierce Kent.

But when Pierce kisses Ana, everything changes.

Is what Pierce feels for her real, or a byproduct of her magic? Can she risk everything for her best friend? And when the family feud spirals out of control, Ana must stop the fight before it takes away everything she loves.

Including, maybe...Pierce.

This Entangled Teen Crave book contains language, violence, and lots of kissing. Warning: it might induce strong feelings of undeniable attraction for your best friend.

Goodreads 

Purchase Links:

Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Entangled Page

Alyxandra Harvey lives in a stone Victorian house in Ontario, Canada with a few resident ghosts who are allowed to stay as long as they keep company manners. She loves medieval dresses, used to be able to recite all of The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson, and has been accused, more than once, of being born in the wrong century. She believes this to be mostly true except for the fact that she really likes running water, women’s rights, and ice cream. Aside from the ghosts, she also lives with her husband and their dogs. She likes cinnamon lattes, tattoos and books.

Connect with the author:  Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads

**GIVEAWAY**

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**MY REVIEW**

It was only after I signed up to be on the Blog Tour for Love Me Love Me Not did I find out that it was a retelling of another story – which sort of made it lose its ‘WOAH! Original’ factor, but kept me at the same amount of excited, because I adore retellings.

There has been only one other book I’ve read about wings or feathers or birds and it was not a good experience for me (See Feather Bound) so I was a bit sceptical when I read the synopsis, but this was an Alxyanrda Harvey novel, and I’ve read a couple and really liked them, so I thought “Why not?”

I love taking chances on books that I normally wouldn’t put at the top of my TBR, but I am SO glad that I did with this one! Don’t get me wrong, it has a few flaws, but it was a good  book nonetheless.

Anastasia Vila comes from a family that can turn into swans. Before a Vila can turn into a swan they have to fall in love first, which is Ana's main problem. She wants her wings, but she also wants to get through school, where her best friend is in love with her. As I’ve mentioned numerous times, I’m a complete sucker for best friend romances, and this one was no exception, except for the fact that they never felt like friends, just already in the cat and mouse game stage. Which kind of sucks, but I can deal.

I guess what I liked the most about this book was that it wasn’t just a romance, but had the most bizzare twist! I mean, SWAN WINGS? Fall in Love, and sprout wings. WOAH.

I’m not going to tell you what happens, but suffice it to say, if you’re looking for something different and out of the box, this should be it!  

BLOG TOUR: Shallow Graves by Kalli Wallace - Review, Favourite Quotes and GIVEAWAY

Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: January 26th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Horror, Zombies, Fantasy, Thriller, Contemporary, Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural
Rate: 3.75 Stars

Synopsis: For fans of Holly Black and Nova Ren Suma, a gripping, hauntingly atmospheric novel about murder, revenge, and a world where monsters—human and otherwise—lurk at the fringes.

When seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death, she doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past. In life, Breezy was always drawn to the elegance of the universe and the mystery of the stars. Now she must set out to find answers and discover what is to become of her in the gritty, dangerous world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she finds is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.

Tense, complex, and wholly engaging, Shallow Graves is a stunning first novel from Kali Wallace.

"I don't know," he said. "You live, I guess. Same as everybody else."

"I can't live. I'm dead."

"You're only kind of dead."

I think I can only accurately describe what I feel about Shallow Graves when I say my thoughts are torn in half. Split right down the middle, fifty percent of this book was extremely vague - not bad, per se -  but just out there, off the mark and not at all what I was expecting. The other fifty percent was basically the chemistry filled, family filled, or space related stuff that I did love about the book.

In all honesty, this book kept pushing itself down, and then redeeming itself and repeating the same cycle over and over, and it made for a pleasant, not so pleasant reading experience - one that I'm not sure I want to embark on again.

Let me explain in further detail: 

THE GOOD:

Zeke and Jake - The brothers, 'monsters', inappropriately funny monster humor such as "The first rule of mermaid cannibal club is don't talk about mermaid cannibal club,'' family moments in the past, Breezy's INABILITY TO DIE, that super strong beginning, the actual killing process (yes, I'm that morbid.) and just Breezy's over the top curiosity and need for answers.

THE BAD:

The monsters, the final fight with the Mother, the creep factor, Violet, Mr. Willow, Lyle, the entire congregation of anti monster people and Ingrid.

Sigh. If you were to ask me to sum this up though, I'd say that though this book had an AMAZING storyline, and this amazing set of characters, it sort of missed the mark on what I expected it to be.

QUOTES:

''The first time I killed a man, it was an accident."

"They didn't know what I was. They didn't know I didn't need to breathe."

"Dragons?" Rain repeater. "This might all be worth it if dragons were real."

"There was a little voice in the back of my head whispering, an angry stage whisper that said: I am human. I know how we are. But I knew the difference between a truth and a lie, even inside my own head."

Follow the Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Kali Wallace studied geology and geophysics before she decided she enjoyed inventing imaginary worlds as much as she liked researching the real one. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, F&SF, Asimov's, Lightspeed Magazine, and Tor.com. Her first novel will be published by Katherine Tegen Books in 2016. She lives in southern California.

US ONLY

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BLOG TOUR: An Absence of Light by Meradeth Houston- Review & Giveaway

An Absence of Light by Meradeth Houston
Published by: Evernight Teen
Publication date: October 31st 2014
Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Synopsis: Leah’s always seen the shadow creatures. She thought she was immune to their evil—until now.

She’s walked into a massacre, stolen a BMW, and is running from the law for a crime she didn’t commit. Nineteen-year-old Leah’s life just went from mildly abnormal to totally crazy at lightning speed. But no one will believe that the shadow creatures are framing her for the murder, because she’s the only one that can see them. At least that’s what she thought.

When Leah stumbled across a group who share her ability, she discovers they have something she doesn’t: a way to fight back. When the group offers to teach her how to kill the shadow creatures, 
Leah jumps at the chance. But something is brewing with the creatures. They’re tracking down the hunters like there’s no tomorrow. Leah suspects that maybe there won’t be, and it’s up to her to make sure tomorrow comes. Because she’ll do anything to stop the shadows, including risking her life—and the life of the one she loves—to keep the world from being lost to darkness forever.

Goodreads Purchase: Amazon || B&N

AUTHOR BIO:

Meradeth’s never been a big fan of talking about herself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about her:

--She’s a Northern California girl. And now is braving the cold winters in Montana.
--When she’s not writing, she’s sequencing dead people’s DNA. For fun!
--She’s also an anthropology professor and loves getting people interested in studying humans.
--If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she’s terrified of heights.

Author links:

http://www.meradethhouston.com/

https://twitter.com/MeradethHouston

https://www.facebook.com/MeradethHouston
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5321667.Meradeth_Houston

**MY REVIEW**

I've only read one other Meradeth Houston book, and that was almost a full year ago- one of my first indie books, one of my first blog events- and the first author that I spoke to- and while Surrender The Sky wasn't a mindblowing book, it is most definitely one imprinted into my memory- and here I am, at the end of another one of her books- one that I loved VERY much!

I suppose what got me into the book after who it was written by and what that meant to me was the title itself- An Absence of Light- which for some reason sounds BRILLIANT- Just like all Meradeth's other titles! An Absence of Light starts off with a rather emotional bang, as described in the blurb. Leah's entire family has been murdered by these soulless things only she has been able to see for a long time- things that she calls the Shadows. Filled with grief she can't yet process, she takes off, leaving her family's rotting corpses and a possible murder conviction in her wake...

Lost, and broken, she stumbles upon people like her- ones that can not only see the shadows, but also have been hurt just as much. But they're also different. They've learnt how to fight back, and now, so can Leah!

But the shadows are only becoming more daring, and all they want is blood. A shadow take over is on the horizon and there are only three people that can stop it.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I don't know what else to say, except for the fact that it was exactly what I wanted and nothing like what I expected- I can simply recommend it! The characters had pain and happiness that was so equally divided that you couldn't help but sympathize with them. In any case, there was only one drawback- I just wished that Leah went through something- SOMETHING- before meeting Manuel and the rest of the gang, just to make it seem more plausible that just running into a gang of people that could make your life a whole lot easier!

READ IT:)