Deborah A. Bailey will be awarding a $40 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Enter to win at the end of the post.
GENRE: Romantic Fantasy
On the Floating World when two Alchemists fall in love it can be...complicated.
Asira is a member of a high-ranking family of Alchemists who exert control over the libraries that store magical texts. Jaydon, an unconventional but powerful teacher of transmutation at the university, is from a gargoyle shifter group known as the Gigun.
Asira finds Jaydon frustrating and too fascinating for her own good. But she desperately needs his help when she becomes the target of a classmate's dangerous use of forbidden magic. With Jaydon's assistance, the two of them uncover a conspiracy that threatens the well-ordered world of the Alchemists.
Struggling with his growing attraction to her, Jaydon is called on to use his knowledge of the magical Books of Fire to determine Asira's fate. And depending on what secrets the books reveal, he may be forced to make a life-altering decision that will either bind them together… or permanently force them apart.
Excerpt
Jaydon picked up his stylus and shoved it behind his ear. Continuing to study her, his brows furrowed as though he was having an internal conversation. Thinking things over with himself and not sharing his conclusions with her.
Sure, she was used to intense stares from the magisters. They used them as an intimidation tactic. It was part of their mystery to be imperious and detached, to only associate with others on their level or from a specific Order. You were either in the Court hierarchy or you weren't. Even the most advanced students didn't have that kind of clout, no matter what Aurum family they belonged to.
"Are you sure you don't want to see my papers on the topic?" Sitting there while he watched her was unnerving. Not that he was bad to look at, because he wasn't. His features were finely sculpted, and his wavy shoulder-length black hair framed his face so that his almond-shaped eyes and full lips were accentuated.
He shook his head in response to her question, his gaze still fixed on her.
A noise outside caught her attention. There was chirping coming from the open sliding glass door that led to the balcony. Another perk of magister mentors. Private offices and balconies overlooking the spice gardens.
"Come in."
A small yellow bird flew in and perched on a shelf above one of the desks. It chirped and then turned its head to study her. Another chirp, then a turn of the head to the left and to the right.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"Nice bird."
"No, I was asking her."
"You were what?" She looked at him, then at the bird again, then at him. "Does she talk?"
"Yes."
"What does she say?" She would go along with it for now. She'd be done and then hopefully get picked by a mentor who was more serious and less messy.
My Review
4.5 Stars
I enjoyed this book and am interested in the series. I like the existence of different worlds all connected through mysterious portals that can be closed any second and thus, are quite delicate. The author only provides the reader with pieces of information regarding the phoenixes who control the portals between worlds, which keeps the reader intrigued for the next installment. More importantly, I want to know what will become of Asira. The author leaves the reader hanging here, in a good way. Will she live in romantic bliss finally following her own heart instead of others’ expectations? Or will she become a highly sought out creature that others seek to imprison and exploit? There’s lots of possible plot options here, and I’m excited to see where the author goes with it.
I also enjoyed the characters. Jaydon comes across as intelligent, yet humble and kind. I could see myself getting along easily with him. He seems like a genuine character. Asira is young but far from naïve. She only needs to learn to follow her own intuition and heart, which is actually what those who love her want her to do. I suspect that she’ll continue to grow into a solid character who will either move into leadership or play a significant role in the order of these worlds. Most importantly, neither Asira nor Jaydon value status and prestige, which make them admirable.
I do feel that the novel ended rather abruptly and could have had a better cliffhanger. I wanted to know more. I was curious about what would happen with Asira and her change. Thus, I’m offering a critique here because I enjoyed the characters and the story and wanted more understanding about where the plot would continue into the next novel. The ending still worked, and again, the reader is left with several directions that the plot can take.
I’d recommend this book to fantasy and romance readers. I’m looking forward to the author’s next novel in the series.
Author Bio
Deborah A Bailey's Romantic Fantasy, Science Fiction and Paranormal Romance novels include suspense, a bit of mystery and a lot of romantic heat.
Her short stories have won awards from the Philadelphia Writers' Conference and have been published in US1 Magazine and the Sun and are included in, Electric Dreams: Seven Futuristic Tales.
Visit her site https://AuthorDebBailey.com for more information and subscribe to the newsletter here: https://eepurl.com/bokGdX so you'll be the first to find out about giveaways, book launches and sneak peeks.
Note: This book will be on sale for $1.99 during the tour.
Links
Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/deborahannbailey
Newsletter: https://eepurl.com/bokGdX
Giveaway
Thanks to the author for providing a free review copy. Thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions for all your work supporting authors.
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