#WaitingOnWednesday: Bane and Shadow

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted  by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Title: Bane and Shadow

Series: Empire of Storms #2

Author: Jon Skovron

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Orbit

Published: 23rd Feb 2017

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Book Depository

A killer adventure fantasy follow-up to HOPE AND RED, set in a fracturing empire spread across savage seas, where two young people from different cultures find common purpose.

Red is being trained as a cold-blooded assassin by the biomancers. As he becomes increasingly embroiled in palace politics, he learns that even life among the nobility can be deadly.

While terrorizing imperial ships as the pirate Dire Bane, Hope stumbles onto a biomancer plot of such horrifying scope that it makes even the massacre of her childhood village seem small in comparison.

With the biomancers tightening their grip of fear over the empire, Hope and Red struggle to fill their new roles and responsibilities, but the cost will be greater than any of them realize.

"Hope and Red" was one of my favourite reads of 2016 (my review). It was epic. So I am super excited for the sequel!!! Again this sounds like it's going to be a butt kicking, thrilling adventure. I can't wait to see where the author is going to take our two main characters.

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*Book Review* Hope and Red by Jon Skovron

Title: Hope and Red (The Empire of Storms #1)

Format: Arc Paperback

Pages: 598

Published: 30th June 2016

Publisher: Orbit

Source: Publisher for Review

Genre: Fantasy

Shelfability: Covet

Buy:  Amazon UK / Amazon US / Book Depo / Wordery

ONE SEEKS POWER. THE OTHER VENGEANCE. TOGETHER THEY ARE REBELLION.
 

HOPE, the lone survivor of a village massacred by the emperor's forces, is secretly trained as a warrior and instrument of vengeance.

RED, an orphan adopted by a notorious matriarch of the criminal underworld, learns to be an expert thief and con artist.

Together they will take down an empire.

Perfect for fans of Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson and Peter V. Brett, HOPE AND RED is destined to be the next fantasy blockbuster.

Oh My Freaking Gawd!!!!! I went into this not expecting too much. Adult fantasy novels tend to be a hit or miss for me. So if I don't have expectations I don't get too disappointed when it's not good. However, on the flip side it also means I get to be pleasantly surprised from time to time. And let me tell you, Hope and Red blew my socks off. It was absolutely outstanding. It was quite simply freaking epic!!

Hope and Red are both orphaned at a young age. Hope vows to seek revenge on the  biomancer who destroyed get entire village. Red finds himself being taken under the wings of Sadie, and becomes an expect thief. Their stories run parallel to each other until they finally meet and together the set of take down the biomancers and the empire.

I absolutely love Hope and Red. Both have such tragic stories. Hope loses her entire village and ends up being taken in by monks where she trains to become a lethal warrior. She can hold her own and doesn't need a man to come to her rescue like a lot of other female protagonists. Hope is kickass and feisty. I love her. Now Red, oh sweet, cocky and charming Red. He loses both parents at a young age forcing him onto the streets of The Circle. He doesn't let losing his parents define him. Instead he becomes smart, charming and proves himself to be a valuable asset to The Circle even if he is forever getting himself into sticky situations. When Hope and Red meet there is an instant connection between them. It's not instalove (thank god) but they just bond.

There is a whole host of secondary characters that you can't help but fall in love with and of course hate! But I won't go into details of that or I will end up spoiling the book for you. However, I will mention Sadie!! OK Sadie is bloody brilliant!! She takes Red under her wing and takes care of him growing up. She isn't motherly exactly but you can tell that she loves that boy like he was her own. The bond between them is unbreakable. Red loves Sadie. Around other people Red is this self assured smart arse but around Sadie is shows his softer side and it's pure love.

The author managed to create a breathtaking and thrilling tale with just the right mix of character interaction and back story without driveling on for pages about pointless descriptions that I see in a lot of fantasy novels which tends to put me off them. Now the book is a bit of a beast at nearly 600 pages but it's flows perfectly making it seem a lot shorter because it just plays like movie in your head. You can feel everything these characters are feeling. You feel like you are in the story with the characters and experiencing everything they are.

Hope and Red is the first installment in The Empire of Storm series. It's an epic fantasy with pirates, sword fights and magic! So if you like fantasy reads that are just freaking amazing and leave you begging for more then please give them a go. You will not be disappointed!!

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*The Friday 56* Hope and Red

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice. Grab a book and turn to page 56 or 56% in your E-Reader. Find any sentence, or a few, just don't spoil it. And find a creative way to showcase your 56!!  Make sure to use the hashtag #Friday56 and don't forget to add your Instagram url to Freda's Voice's Linky.

**I usually pick books that I have already read or that are next on my TBR pile**

Hope and Red by Jon Skovron

page 56 in arc paperback

What's your Friday 56??

Don't forget to Like, Comment and Share, if you enjoyed this post!!

 

Don't forget to Like, Comment and Share, if you enjoyed this post!!

- See more at: http://weeshubbasworld.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/book-review-ruined-by-amy-tintera.html#sthash.m2Sqvzt5.dpuf

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Misfit by Jon Skovron

Format: Paperback
Pages: 362
Publisher: Amulet Books
Published: 1st Sept 2011
Source: Publisher for Review*
Genre: YA Paranormal

Description:
Jael has always felt like a freak. She's never stayed in a town for longer than a year, she's never kissed a boy, she never knew her mum, and her dad's always been super-strict, but that's probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half-demon, and most definitely not a normal sophomore at St. Mary's High School. Jael thought she had it under control, though, until her sixteenth birthday, when a mysterious present unlocks the story of her family's dangerous history and Jael's untapped potential. She discovers that the reason her family moves around a lot is because they're being chased by a particularly vindictive Duke of Hell, Belial. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take him on, while also dealing with a twisted priest, best friend drama, and the spacey blonde skater boy who may have hidden depths

Review:

When I first heard about this book. I honestly wasn't sure about. I thought the cover was very eye catching and the description to very interesting. But at the same time I knew that there was a lot of religion in it so I was unsure. However, the publisher contacted me to review the book and I figured I may as well. And even though there is alot of religion it I really did enjoy this fantastic book.

Misfit is about Jael, a young teenager who has never fit it. Her and her father travel all over the world, never staying in one place to long. Why? Because Jael is being hunted by Belial, Duke of Hell. Jael has always known her mother was a demon but on her 16th birthday she discovers that she is in fact a half breed with supernatural powers that can be deadly if not controlled.

As I mentioned above there is alot of religion in this book. And that can put people off. However, it's not that ram it down your throat kind. Jon has took alot of the christian stories and characters put his own quirky spin on them. And in a way I am glad I am a catholic because I actually knew who these people were thanks to Mass on Sundays and R.E in school. Saying that it's still pretty easy to follow.

Our main character is Jael. At first I didn't have a connection to her. I understood her and got that it must be hard always moving around and never knowing her mother. But it wasn't until she found out she was a halfbreed that I actually started to warm up to her and really get inside her head. I'm still not fully liking her though. And at times I found her POV actually quite boring. But I did like the chemistry between her and Rob. Rob is a real sweetheart. He adore's Jael and doesn't freak out when she tells him the truth about her. However, I actually prefer the flash backs from Paul, her father. He has had such an interesting and dangerous life when he met Jael's Mother. Their story I wanted more of. It was compelling and magical, full of love and danger.

The story itself was a slow starter. But as the backstory unravels itself I found myself engrossed in the book and wanted to know more and more and waiting for the big bad to come. Jon is a very talented author. He has took probably my favourite part of christian stories, Demons; and brought them to life. Some good, some bad and some down right ugly.

Overall, a really good YA novel that is truely unique. I'm not sure if there is a follow up but the ending was done in such a way that there could easily be a sequel and I really hope there is.

*Thank you Amulet publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for a honest review.

Rate: 4/5

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