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Friday, June 30, 2017

Blog Tour and Review for Raven Song by I.A. Ashcroft



 

Name: Raven Song

Series: Inoki's Game (Book 1)

Paperback: 290 pages

Published Date: March 14, 2016

Publisher: Lucid Dreams Publishing

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1944674004

ISBN-13: 978-1944674007

 





 

 

Book Blurb:

A century ago, the world burned. Even now, though rebuilt and defiant, civilization is still choking on the ashes.

 

Jackson, a smuggler, lives in the shadows, once a boy with no memory, no name, and no future. Ravens followed him, long-extinct birds only he could see, and nightmares flew in their wake. Once, Jackson thought himself to be one of the lucky few touched by magic, a candidate for the Order of Mages. He is a man now, and that dream has died. But, the ravens still follow. The nightmares still whisper in his ear.

 

Anna’s life was under the sun, her future bright, her scientific work promising. She knew nothing of The Bombings, the poisoned world, or the occult. One day, she went to work, and the next, she awoke in a box over a hundred years in the future, screaming, fighting to breathe, and looking up into the eyes of a smuggler. Anna fears she’s gone crazy, unable to fill the massive hole in her memories, and terrified of the strange abilities she now possesses.

 

The Coalition government has turned its watchful eyes towards them. The secret factions of the city move to collect them first. And, old gods stir in the darkness, shifting their pawns on the playing field.

 

If Anna and Jackson wish to stay free, they must learn what they are and why they exist.

 

Unfortunately, even if they do, it may be too late.

 

Raven Song is the first of a four book adult-oriented dystopian fantasy series, a story of intrigue, love, violence, and the old spirits in the shadows who wait for us to notice them again. Readers of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, and Charlie Human will enjoy this dark magic-laced tale rooted on the bones of what our world could become.

 

 

 

 


 

 

Author Bio:

​I. A. Ashcroft has been writing fiction in many forms for almost twenty years. The author's first book, written at age seven, featured the family cat hunting an evil sorceress alongside dragons and eagles. This preoccupation with the fantastical has not changed in the slightest.

 

Now, the author dwells in Phoenix, AZ alongside a wonderful tale-spinner and two increasingly deranged cats. Ashcroft writes almost exclusively in the realm of darker fantasy these days, loving to entertain adults with stories of magic, wonder, despair, violence, and hope, bringing a deep love of mythology into every tale penned. The author also loves diverse and intriguing casts of characters.

 

When not buried in a book, one might find Ashcroft learning languages, charting road trips, and playing tabletop RPGs with clever and fun people.

 

 

 

Contact the Author:






 

 

 

 

Quotes from Reviewers

 

“Fresh, futuristic, dark, scary, and thrilling all at the same time… Even people who don't usually read sci-fi/fantasy type stories will be able to feel grounded.”

– Sydney Scrogham, author of Chase

 

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“This is a surprising book. Not because it is well written (it is) and not just because it has an engaging plot that keeps you reading and wishing for more but rather because it is such an unusual concept… an excellent novel that is well worth reading if you want something different to the usual tropes.”

– D. A. Lascelles, author of “Gods of the Sea “and Transitions

 

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“The concepts of Chosen ones, superhuman magical abilities, world collapse and time travel aren't new, but Ashcroft gives them a special twist to create a story that is clever, intelligent, original and utterly engrossing.”

– Hannah Ross, author of the Quest of the Messenger series

 

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“Raven Song does not wait long and throws the reader into an action adventure starring likable leads from the very start.”

– Moonike, Goodreads reviewer

 

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“I will freely admit the chapter where the book shows Anna’s past made me tear up… even now as I write this I tear up a bit thinking of it.”

– taruofatlantis, Goodreads reviewer

 

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“Jackson was such a realistic character that I could practically see him in front of me when I read about him. I could see his movements, mannerisms… feel his relief, fear and curiosity. He is a perfect character in every which way. Anna is a character with no memories of why she is where she is. Oh and also, she may have traveled in time. Her character develops so beautifully as the story progresses. I wanted to hug her and cry out "You go girl!" at many points in the story.”

– Uma, book blogger at Books. Bags.Burgers.

 

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“The descriptiveness of these scenes is amazing and keeps you turning the page.... you get the sense of a meld between Mad Max and some drug addled dream sequence at times.”

– Mark, Goodreads reviewer

 

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“What a dark and beautiful fantasy! I had wanted to read this one for a while, since I has first heard of it, but just got the chance, and I'm so glad I did! Richly written with an interesting plot and complex characters this is one for all you dark fantasy/dystopian/grimdark tales!”

– Stephanie, book blogger at Adventures Thru Wonderland

 

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“Ashcroft has a brilliant imagination coupled with an eloquent writing style that draws the reader in, makes us feel a wide array of emotions, and holds us captivated to the very end. I anxiously await the next volume in this series.”

– K. McCaslin, Amazon reviewer

 

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“Such beauty blooms in the language and such mystery envelops the plot that the more you read, the more you fall in love with the pages.”

– Gayathri, Amazon reviewer

 

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“The story of Jackson and Anna is one that was both touching and action packed. Smartly written with a smooth voice and an incredible talent for world building and storytelling, the author has really captured a great premise here. In fact, I was thrilled to see that this was only Book One in a series. ”

– Judge, 24th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

 

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“This being a debut book, blew me away. I do not ever do book reviews, but I wanted to let those who read them know, you must buy this book. It is gritty, fun, full of drama, and a little bit of love. All of the elements come together and are beautifully married to create the dystopian world full of complex, and varied characters.”

– Amazon Customer, 5 star review

 

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"A fresh and unique take on a dystopian world, Ashcroft has managed to take one of my favorite genres and breathe new life into it. With touches of magic in a world gone south, Raven Song is packed with adventure and intrigue. A page turner you won't want to put down..."

– The Faerie Review

 

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"Urban fantasy lovers who like layered multi dimensional plotlines would surely like the author's page turning writing style."

– Saiswaroopa Iyer, author of Abaya

 


Quotes from the Book

 

 

Jackson let the implication settle on his shoulders, and his voice dropped to a whisper, even though no one was there to hear. “The Coalition wants to smuggle. With us.”

“They’re not here for our generous bulk discounts on three-day shipping, boss.”

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And there, behind the glass, was no gun stash, no bombs, no drugs, no illicit data chips.

It was a woman, a young woman, eyes closed as if asleep. 

Jackson blinked.

“Well, shit,” Frank said for both of them.

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Something in Anna snapped … She yelled like Nyx had, tears coursing down her face now, and slammed her under-exercised, desk-job fist into the glass.

Anna heard the crunch, and was certain it was her hand breaking. A throbbing numbness exploded up her entire arm.

She pulled her hand back, and under it, a thick crack had split the plate.

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“What am I?” The question tore out of his chest in the wake of the jarring memories, and it left a cold, fearful hole behind.

“Ah. There it is. Good job.”

Jackson could hardly look now at the stranger’s jaunty smile. His heart beat faster with terror.

“Do you really want to know?” the man said.

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The road was lined with an old wiry fence, which sagged and splintered in places, cordoning off barren, rocky land. Anna sipped her coffee and gazed absently at the fence and the road lines, watching them stretch forever into the horizon. The clouds had been flat wisps, the landscape a painting frozen in time. And then, she had seen them.

Ravens.

Nearly twenty of the massive birds were clustered on a segment of wire. She normally would have thought nothing of the flock. But, as she passed, in the span of half a second, they lifted their heads and turned with her, as if they weren’t twenty birds at all, but one mind in many bodies.

Her stomach made an apprehensive leap. Some old story in her memory surfaced. Omens of death.Ravens.

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She bounded ahead of the soldiers, snagging a handhold in the maimed dirt. Her arms screamed as she pulled herself up, forcing her hands into new nooks, finding purchase for her feet. She never would have been able to do this in her past life. And yet, now, it seemed like she should, and she was hardly surprised when it worked.

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The harsh arena lights were like the sun, drying Jackson’s blood to his skin. Flickers of black wheeled in his vision against the light. Then, they weren’t flickers anymore. They were dark-feathered birds croaking their song overhead, circling, watching.

His companions until the end.Always.

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In the end, she didn’t have a plan.

But, she did have the inner voice that had urged her on when the NNSS was attacked. It was the same voice that saw her lead the breakout. You’re going to do it, the voice said. You don’t know how yet, but you will. You have to. Why else would you be alive, after all this? To die here?

Anna decided to call this voice courage, and she hoped it was right.

 

 

 

 

 

PROLOGUE

 

 

A boy lay on the broken sidewalk, eyes closed. He was pale and thin, looking not a day over ten years old. His half-clothed body shuddered against the chilly night air. His bony frame scraped against the grime of the street as he curled into himself, trying to keep back the cold. Overhead, the stars hung bright and lonely.

 

In the alley, almost invisible against the midnight darkness, a man stood tall over the boy. His well-pressed suit was as black as the shadows, as his skin, and as the raven on his shoulder. The way he hovered over the child, he seemed a strange guardian. But his eyes were turned upwards to the sky, away from the boy’s plight, as if it was no real matter. In those black eyes the stars were mirrored, impossible and brilliant. Those eyes stared back into the past, when the celestial lights were loved and revered, when each constellation had a story.

 

Once upon a time… this was when the world had sung to him, the dream-walker, the song-weaver, the star-stringer.

 

Once, before humans had forgotten his name.

 

Now, the starry sky was almost hidden by the glowing blue haze of the Barrier, a shield cast over what was left of the city: proud New York, ruined, rebuilt, defiant.

 

The stranger kept staring upwards into oblivion, even as the boy let out an unhappy whimper, chills wracking his weak frame. The raven flew from the stranger’s shoulder then, alighting onto the sidewalk, picking past the weeds and rubble. It rejoined its fellows who had settled amicably around the child, oblivious to the fact that ravens were all supposed to be dead. One hundred years ago, poison had leeched into the earth, into the grass, into the grazers, and into the corpses left behind. The blight spared little, its kind no exception. Regardless, this impossible creature affectionately brushed at the boy’s dark hair with its beak.

 

At the touch, the boy awoke with a start. His wide, uncomprehending eyes took inthe world as he struggled to sit up, his head swinging around wildly; past awnings andhigh rises he had never seen, past scrawled words and graffiti he could not understand.He teetered to his feet, then fell back down again as his knees gave out, sending thebirds around him into flight.

 

He saw no starry eyes in the darkness, no stranger standing nearby. He was halfnaked,shivering, hungry, and alone, his head aching down to his teeth. The namelessboy shook off the dreams he couldn’t remember and wondered where he was.

 

If there had been any passersby on that cold autumn night, they would have swornthat this boy hadn’t been there a minute ago, and no stranger or ravens had been thereat all.

Review:

I have to say that I really enjoyed reading this book. The author has this writing style that really sucks you in until the very last page. We are introduced to a world that has been destroyed after bombings and other events that has caused radiation to be present pretty much everywhere making it a very toxic planet to say the least. Only the cities that have created a type of dome over them are really safe and that is only up to a point. Of course this has had the effect of bringing magic into the world. The main character Jackson has been seeing ravens his whole life though they are supposed to be extinct. He also sees moving shadows that attack him at times. He is raised to believe that he is pretty much crazy and then he finds a woman trapped in a coffin. When she is released it becomes obvious that she possess magical skills as well making her a highly sought after commodity. The two of them end up as friends pretty much that find themselves trapped in events that are beyond their control. The story flow is incredible with events happening one after another all the way until the end where the finale was mind blowing. I did not see that twist coming which gives the author another point in his favor. This is a must read for fans of fantasy and suspense. I give it 4/5 stars since I enjoyed it so much.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries

The Study of Seduction (Sinful Suitors, #2)
goodreads.com


Book two in the Sinful Suitors series. Edwin is asked by his best friend to keep an eye on his ward Claudia while he leaves the country to take care of some business. Claudia is being harassed by a foreign ambassador from France that does not seem to take the word "No" for an answer. Since he is so determined Edwin must make himself available at all times in order to guard her virtue no matter where she wants to go. Of course he does not mind this since he has secretly had a thing for her for quite some time. As they start spending time together the Frenchmen makes himself such a nuisance that they find themselves engaged to be married before they know it. The ceremony is rushed as well just to keep the piece though what they do not know is that the Frenchmen has an ulterior motive that they are unaware of that they will still need to deal with. This was a fun romance to read because both sides of the couple actually already liked each other they were just keeping it a secret. The drama rushes them into doing what they wanted all along and once they fix the bigger problems that are finally able to see that they really do love one another making them a good match. Jeffies is great at her historical accuracy and her romances seem to develop quite nicely without all being exactly the same story. I really enjoyed reading it and recommend it to fans of historical romance. It gets 4/5 stars.

Spells to Die For by C.C. Dragon

Spells to Die For (Witch's Brew Cozy Mystery #2)
goodreads.com



Book two in the Witch's Brew Cozy Mystery series. I fell in love with book one so I was really excited to get my hands on this one and it did not let me down. At the end of book one we found out that there was a big family secret that was being kept from Claudia. At this point she is doing her absolute best to find out what it but her family is thwarting her efforts at every turn. While she is trying to figure this out three new witches move to the area. While welcoming them one of the three turns up dead shortly after a stack of books is stolen form Claudia. Of course she has to investigate, and I admit that the solution came as a surprise to me. There is also some interesting boy trouble that she handles quite well. This is an excellent blend of magic, mystery, fantasy, and so much more as set in a wonderful community that works well together. I loved each and every page so it gets 5/5 stars.