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The Buried Covenant Review & Giveaway by Shawn P Keenan – By L
Shawn Keenan kindly put his book up for review with us! Here is a a snip-it
”Being hardheaded is a common character flaw, but most teenagers can’t crack a concrete curb with their skull. And while a skilled skateboarder appears to defy gravity, he can’t keep water from pouring out of an upturned cup. Unintentionally tapping into latent powers has brought Jayke Wolff to the attention of the Aduro, an ancient society plotting an apocalyptic new world order. He’s now their number one draft pick, and they’ve dispatched their most seductive member to close the deal. It shouldn’t take much convincing a hormonal teenage boy to turn his back on a cryptic covenant for a future of self-indulgence and unchecked power. But if Jayke can’t be tempted by pleasures of the flesh, the flesh can be influenced in less pleasant ways as well. Armageddon can’t wait forever. Killing Jayke will also work. Not remembering your past and not believing in your future can make it hard to choose who you’re going to be. Jayke has to decide how much of his teenage life he’s willing to sacrifice for a greater good. After all, you’re only young once.”
I was drawn to read this book because it sounded slightly different to what I have previously read. It took a while to get going – about 40% of the way through was when the questions began to ring in my head. However something was still grabbing me and making me read on. I loved how Keenan managed to bring a sort of ancient-ness ( is that even a word?) to an up-to-date story. I really liked how Jayke had no idea who he was, he had an incline but no diea then bam his whole life changed!
I thought the characters were well thought through, everyone had a part to play – there was not one person in this book that could have been missed. I kind of got a Charmed feel for this book – remember that show? I love it!!! I couldn’t pin point another book to say if you liked this….. then you would would love this because I don’t think I’ve read anything like this before. However I would put it in the same genre of MR Merrick Protector Series.
My favorite part of this book was the moral of the story – the same moral I live my life by “My life was mine to mess up, mine to get right, but unquestionably mine to experience. Freewill. For better or for worse. I was wired to make my own decision in life. And I’d make the right one tonight” I just love that quote – seems to be serving my life quite well!
So do you fancy winning a copy? Shawn has kindly given us 5 copies to giveaway! All you need to do is follow both @SLFictionLovers and @ShawnPKeenan and tweet:
“ @SLFictionLovers I want to win a copy of The Buried Covenant by @ShawnPKeenan “
Giveaway closes on Wednesday at 8pm GMT and the 5 winners will be announced at 10pm.
Exiled Review By Dayna
Exiled – M.R. Merrick.
Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase’s birthday, the bloodline stopped.
Exiled without the Circle’s protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened, and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle’s agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can’t do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna - a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret. In their attempt to stop them, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle’s plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other’s life depending on it.
Wow there was action from the very beginning. A spellbinding read that I never wanted to end. I think I must have gone through all emotions possible reading this book. It had me laughing so hard in some parts, frustrated in others, incredibly angry and then crying at other parts so get ready for a rollercoaster of a ride! Merrick’s writing is incredible and if you’re like me and like updating your statuses with quotes from books then this is quote-a-plenty! Merrick is also so brilliantly descriptive that in my head I could vividly picture each scene as it unfolded. The detail put in to the monsters and fight scenes were so descriptive that at times it verbally made me go “Ewww” and “Oh my god I could so picture this scene in a movie or something right out of an episode of buffy”. Gotta love a book with detail like that. It makes it all the more engrossing and exciting to read. I also loved that magic and the use of the elements were part and parcel of being a demon hunter.
I have to say that I loved Merrick’s unique take on the classic vampire where-by in this, when the vampire transforms into its’ demon form, its’ ‘Milky skin faded into transparent flesh, revealing the moving muscles beneath. Veins ran black through the vampire’s face and limbs, pushing against the thinning clear skin. Strange muscles in his hands pushed bony talons out over his finger nails, and the whites of his eyes disappeared, filling with an inky blackness.’
Character wise, I love Rayna. She’s got spunk and I love her sarcasm and wit. Actually, the same could be said for Chase. They have more in common than they care to admit to begin with. Love the witty banter and chemistry between them. I’m hoping for more chemistry in book 2 (please? Pleeeaaase??? Pretty please with lots of chocolate and chocolate ice-cream and lots more chocolatey goodness on top?). Rayna and Chase are such strong characters who have been and continue to go through so much both separately and together.
The relationship Chase has with his mum, Tessa is so loving and sweet and whenever I see the phrase “You and me, always,” it brings a little tear to my eye.
The character, Willy is one of my favourites. He’s so lovely. He’s a little wimpy and I kind of imagine him to be a little geeky looking too. I found myself wanting to protect him and I felt especially bad when Chase roped him in to doing things he didn’t want to do but he pushes down that fear and reluctantly does it anyway because he wants to help. I can’t wait to see how he develops in book 2!
The sequel to Exiled will be called Shift and will hopefully be released mid-December. Is it December yet??
If you’re a Buffy, Supernatural fan or just a fan of the whole demon hunter thing in general, you’ll be sure to enjoy this.
I rate this 5/5!
PS: I want a golden torrent!
You can purchase Exiled as an ebook from:
Amazon US
Let me introduce you to Exiled by M. R. Merrick – By Dayna
Here at SLoFL we are really looking forward to reading Exiled by M. R. Merrick which will be released 1st July. There will be a review coming soon but for now we thought we would introduce you to the book.
Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase’s birthday, the bloodline stopped.
Exiled without the Circle’s protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle’s agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can’t do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna - a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret. In their attempt to stop them, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle’s plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other’s life depending on it.
Sound like your cup of tea? It’s definitely mine! It will be available as an E-book from Smashwords for $2.99.
