BOOK REVIEW - THE SOWER COMES by MELISSA ESKUE OUSLEY - THE SOLAS BEIR TRILOGY # 3 - YA FANTASY

By: Melissa Eskue Ousley

Published By: Castle Garden Publications

Released: 11th July 2015

Details: Paperback from author for honest review

RATING: 4 YA FANTASY STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

As the new king of a world in turmoil, life for David Corbin is grim, at best.

Abby Brown, the love of his life, has vanished without a trace, and David fears the worst: that she was brutally murdered by the Daughters of Mercy, vicious creatures employed by Tynan Tierney, an evil lord vying for the throne. One of David’s best friends, Jon, has been captured by the Kruorumbrae, Tierney’s army of bogeymen, and David has no idea if he’s still alive, or how to rescue him. The powerful Eastern Oracle has pledged loyalty to Tierney’s cause, and all communication with David and the other three Oracles has ceased. Cai Terenmare is on the brink of war. And, to make matters worse, a new evil has arisen, the mysterious Sower, a monster puppeteered by Tierney himself.

On the bright side, David has his treacherous aunt locked up in his dungeon. Lucia’s not happy that her ex, Tierney, tried to kill her, and she owes David for saving her life. Lucia may have critical information about Tierney’s plans for the Sower, but after all the trouble she’s caused, can David ever trust her again?

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I am going to start by saying I think Lucia turned out to be quite the surprise character in this trilogy, without really knowing it at first.
It took me to read this book to see under her layers and what made her tick.

This has been a wonderful YA fantasy trilogy to read. You can see how much Melissa loves writing in this genre.

The cover art has always been a stand out for me.

We join Abby and David, who for me has done a complete one eighty, he was the motorbike guy in Sign Of The Throne and he became King material in The Sower Comes.

Jon has been a fave of mine and we only see him for a small part of this book but he is such a valued friend to Abby.

Hedeon is another character I really liked even though he again is not in the book a great deal.

Tierney, now I almost...almost, felt sorry for him in a certain scene. I can see how Lucia had her emotions mislead.

Speaking again of Lucia and that tray scene, when you have no weapon you make do and she certainly knew how to use that tray!

This instalment has a plague that really had me scratching my head how it was going to be stopped. Visually that scene played out quite spectacularly in my mind even though it wasn’t a very long scene.

This has been a great journey I have spent with all these characters and I feel very satisfied how it all turned out.

Well done Melissa. J

Michelle

ARC BOOK REVIEW - THE RABBIT AND THE RAVEN by MELISSA ESKUE OUSLEY - THE SOLAS BEIR TRILOGY # 2 - YA FANTASY - CASTLE GARDEN PUBLICATIONS

By: Melissa Eskue Ousley
Published By: Castle Garden Publications
Released : March 2014
Details : ARC Paperback for honest review, 330 Pages

Thank you Melissa for the book.

RATING: 4.5 FANTASY STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Darkness is beguiling...and power always comes with a price.

Adopted by loving parents, David Corbin had no idea his life as he knew it was a lie. Then he met a girl. Abby Brown freed David from the spell keeping him from the truth, that he was the lost heir to the throne in a magical realm.

Even though he got the girl and gained a kingdom, David had no clue about the unfathomable power he would inherit, nor did he realize how much he would have to sacrifice to keep the throne.

If there is any hope of winning the war against the deadly Blood Shadows, David and Abby will have to journey to the outer edges of the realm to secure the loyalty of the four Oracles. Along the way, they will learn just how seductive darkness can be.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

Melissa has captivated me even more with this installment in The Solas Beir Trilogy.

We journey from Newcastle Beach into the world of Cai Terenmare with Abby, David, Jon, and Marisol along for the ride. Marisol has redeemed herself from her bullying ways in the first book and she is now part of the gang, fighting the good fight.

Cael is still the ever present First Knight to his beloved Eulalia, Queen of Cai Terenmare.

I totally dig Cael.

Nysa the nixie makes an appearance and Fergal is always a cutie. I like him.

Tynan Tierney is a most excellent villain. One minute I was almost sympathizing with him, then the next I understood why he was the villain of this story. I think he is very well written. He is almost one of my fave characters.

Did I just say that?

Or should I say he is one of my fave villains? He does know how to manipulate his minions like a true puppet master.

I did get a couple, gasp moments with our resident villain.

A fantasy filled with creative creatures, I mean fanged toads, not something you want to meet without protection. The Daughter’s Of Mercy, those chicks don’t know how to play nice.

The Kruorumbrae are quite evil and Tierney’s minions are in full swing in this installment.

Melissa raises the bar with some gore, and I had some sad moments. I also got a couple awesome twists that I did not see coming.

I always give an author a glove clap when I get a twist thrown at me that I hadn’t theorized on.

I will be honest and say I thought the first half of the book was a little slower than the latter half.

The latter half really took off and I really enjoyed the time we spent with the Southern Oracle and the Boto.

When we were in the Eastern Oracle’s realm, was one of my fave parts of the book as it was fast paced and a lot was happening in the storyline.

Shiz was going down.

All the characters were being challenged. I wanted to whip out a sword and join in.

Hedeon is a new character I really like.

But can he be trusted?

The ages of Melissa’s main characters are all eighteen and over, yet the romance is very chaste and they are all rather proper with each other. Almost old school with their behavior.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. It is a very clean read.

I do enjoy reading this trilogy. The fantasy is creative and visually I do see it very well in my head when I am reading.

I loved the moment when the title of the book clicked.

I am intrigued to know more especially after the ending that lends itself to the title of book three, plus all that shiz that went down.

Whahhh!

I was taken on a fantasy adventure with endearing characters, a villain that is quite unpredictable and a cast of fantasy creatures that go bump in the night. I am left tapping my foot for the third installment.

"You don't have to carry me -- I can walk. I'm fine. Really."
"Shhh," David said. "I was trying to be romantic. You're stepping on my hero moment here, woman."

Michelle

ARC BOOK REVIEW - SIGN OF THE THRONE by MELISSA ESKUE OUSLEY - THE SOLAS BEIR TRILOGY # 1 -CASTLE GARDEN PUBLICATIONS

By: Melissa Eskue Ousley
Published By: Castle Garden Publications
Released : 14th September 213
Details: Paperback from author for honest review, 308 Pages

RATING : 4.5 DAVID & JONATHAN STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Abby is an ordinary girl haunted by dreams of an ivory castle, blood-thirsty monsters, and a striking stranger. 

Working as a babysitter for a family of mythology lovers in wealthy Newcastle Beach, California, she struggles to define herself among the elite class while trying to make sense of her strange visions. Upon meeting David, the doppelgänger of the mysterious young man in her dreams, Abby’s life is changed forever.

Encountering the queen of Cai Terenmare, a magical kingdom in a parallel world, Abby learns of an evil lord hell-bent on usurping the throne, the murder of Cai Terenmare’s king, the Solas Beir, and the kidnapping of the Solas Beir’s infant son.

As the kingdom struggles to endure, the queen shows Abby the full extent of her destiny. She must convince her mysterious crush, David, that he is the lost heir. While braving attacks from the dark lord’s sadistic minions, David must realize his true identity and return to Cai Terenmare to claim his throne before time runs out, lest the evil that was temporarily locked away be unleashed, threatening to destroy both the kingdom and all of humanity.


BOOK REVIEW by Michelle :

I totally dug this book. This is a very clean read that any school library would want on their shelves.

I love the cover of this book, it really is true to the story line.

Melissa gave me a really great story that is very well written and very smoothly told. I am in two minds if it is middle grade or YA genre. My reasons, the main characters are eighteen and up, but the story is an appealing fantasy for younger readers.

The story is told from two worlds, the human world and Cai Terenmare. Melissa has a wonderful imagination that kept the pages turning. I loved all the characters names and I loved the back of the book contains, ‘Places and Terms’. I realized I had been pronouncing a character’s name wrong by the time I had finished. It is worth a look.

There were some great scenes that visually looked awesome in my head when reading. The smashing of mirrors would look spectacular on the big screen.

Queen Eulalia’s babe has been stolen and her King assassinated.

Like any mother would, Queen Eulalia goes after her stolen babe and finds herself trapped in the human world until she can reopen a portal to get herself and her now grown son back.

Poor Queen Eulalia got the wrong end of the stick on a magical spell and she is trapped, but she has the help of a faithful frog named Fergal the Valorous. He can get himself back and forth between the worlds giving Cael and herself information.

Time is of the essence. Once David turns 23 yrs old the villain of this story can take over Cai Terenmare , claim the throne that is rightfully David’s .

Bit hard to claim your birthright when you have been stolen as a babe and now live with adopted parents who have no idea about David’s heritage or any knowledge of the world he is from. He has no clue who he really is.

The ever loyal Cael goes on a quest to find the Sign of the Throne. The piece of the puzzle needed to get his Queen back into her own world.

I really like Cael. A brave, loyal character who has a thing for the Queen.

Abby is a wonderful character I liked very much. She is a sitter for the Buchans. I really liked their whole family. Riordan ( that would be the chappy I was pronouncing wrong the whole book) is a fun character, he likes to wear a kilt. He would be such a great dad to have, he has a great heart and dares to believe in what a lot of parents wouldn’t.

Jonathan Reyes is a great character. He is Abby’s best friend. He likes the ladies but he is always there for Abby. Me thinks he is a bit confused about whether he likes Abby as a bff or more.

I am a huge fan of Jon’s. I really connected with his character. He is funny and loyal.

Her relationship with Jonathan Reyes had quite literally begun the day they were born - their mothers bonded in the maternity ward, and gave birth within hours of each other.


It was a matter of chemistry - Jon was charismatic, but he could be a little too wild.

Enter David Corbin the twenty two year old hunk with the Harley Davidson.

He is rather delicious.

Abby finds herself on her own mission and she isn’t immune to David.

David’s family have expectations for his future and he is torn between what he wants. Little does he know that it is all about to change.

A nicely woven together fantasy where two people from two different worlds find each other.

A peaceful existence will always be challenged by a villain who will look for a way to get what he wants.

A beautifully descriptive book filled with imagination ,brave gorgeous lads, ravens, black cats, shadows, nightmares, dreams, a Nixie, a Queen who won’t give up on her son, and a love that was inevitable, making for a great start to Melissa’s trilogy.

But will it be a fairy tale ending?

Michelle

BOOK BLITZ & EXCERPT - SIGN OF THE THRONE by MELISSA ESKUE OUSLEY - SOLAS BEIR TRILOGY # 1 - CASTLE GARDEN PUBLICATIONS

Today on Novels On The Run I have a book blitz for Melissa Eskue Ousley's book , SIGN of the THRONE. 

Check out the synopsis, the book trailer and a bit about Melissa.

Sign of the Throne is due for release 14th September 2013.

I will be reviewing it shortly.

Woot!

So throw this one on to your TBR piles so you don't forget about it.

Michelle

SYNOPSIS

Abby is an ordinary girl haunted by dreams of ivory castles, blood-thirsty monsters, and a striking stranger. Working as a babysitter for a family of mythology lovers in wealthy Newcastle Beach, California, she struggles to define herself among the elite class while trying to make sense of her strange visions. Upon meeting David, the doppelgänger of the mysterious young man in her dreams, Abby’s life is changed forever.

Encountering the queen of Cai Terenmare, a magical kingdom in a parallel world, Abby learns of an evil lord hell-bent on usurping the throne, the murder of Cai Terenmare’s king, the Solas Beir, and the kidnapping of the Solas Beir’s infant son.

As the kingdom struggles to endure, the queen shows Abby the full extent of her destiny. She must convince her mysterious crush, David, that he is the lost heir. While braving attacks from the dark lord's sadistic minions, David must realize his true identity and return to Cai Terenmare to claim his throne before time runs out, lest the evil that was temporarily locked away be unleashed, threatening to destroy both the kingdom and all of humanity. 

EXCERPT

Abby spent the next evening babysitting for Cassandra and Riordan. She put the kids to bed and laid out her homework on the coffee table downstairs. She was immersed in her work when she realized—the house was quiet. Eerily quiet.

She was used to the familiar creaks and groans of the old house, and night ushered in the occasional chirp of a cricket or flutter of moth wings around the antique sconces lighting the room. Tonight she heard nothing—there was only dead silence. She felt a prickle at the back of her neck and realized she was shivering. The room had gone unnaturally cold, and she had the distinct sense that she was not alone.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadowy presence, someone standing still, watching her. She turned to look, but there was no one there. She felt a terrible unease twisting in her gut. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

Responding to her intuition, she got up and climbed the stairs to check on the children. Ciaran was snoring, perfectly at peace. He had wriggled out of his covers in his sleep. Abby tucked him back in.

Leaving his room, she walked down the hall to the twins’ room. The nightlight in the hallway began blinking erratically. She entered the room and froze. Perched monkey-like on the corner of Rowan’s crib was a shadowed figure the size of a small boy, leaning over the sleeping child. Sensing Abby, it turned its head, blood-red eyes meeting hers.

Abby gasped with horror as the creature leapt with unnatural agility from the crib and crouched like a spider high on the wall, staring down at her. Slowly, it smiled, revealing rows of pointed narrow teeth, sharp as razors. And then…it pounced.

Abby raised her arms to shield herself, scrunched her eyes shut, and screamed. But there was nothing. She heard a low chuckle behind her and saw the creature near the door. The shadow boy laughed and ran out. The smoky form changed into a large black housecat before disappearing through the hallway wall.

Abby ran to the twins’ light switch and turned on the lights. She checked to make sure Rowan and Siobhan were unharmed, and then hurried to Ciaran’s room, flicking on lights as she ran. Ciaran was still fast asleep—her scream had not disturbed him at all.

She jerked open his closet door and found his aluminum baseball bat. Then, scooping him and the quilt up from his bed, she ran back to Rowan and Siobhan’s room. She shut the door and nestled the five year old into a make-shift bed on the floor. Sitting against the dresser next to him, she hummed, trying to reassure herself. Armed with the bat and the adrenaline coursing through her body, she waited.

Melissa Eskue Ousley

Author of The Solas Beir Trilogy

Melissa Eskue Ousley lives in the Pacific Northwest of the United States with her family and their Kelpie, Gryphon. When she’s not writing, Melissa can be found hiking, swimming, scuba diving, kayaking, or walking along the beach, poking dead things with a stick. 

Before she became a writer, she had a number of educational jobs, ranging from a summer spent scraping road kill off a molten desert highway, to years spent conducting research with an amazing team of educators at the University of Arizona. Her interests in psychology, culture, and mythology have influenced her writing of The Solas Beir Trilogy.

GOODREADS

Website/blog: http://melissaeskueousley.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaEskueOusley

Twitter: @MEskueOusley