Review: The Emblazoned Red by Dawn McCullough-White

The Emblazoned Red

by Dawn McCullough-White

The Trilogy of a Tyrant #1

Publication: May 29th, 2013 by Claypipe Press
Genre: New Adult/Adult Dark Fantasy

Once, in another world—a dark world, the world of Faetta—there lived paladins and pirates, tyrants and scallywags, vampires and the undead. In this world a revolution is brewing. The royalty of Sieunes are in chains, and those priests and paladins who follow the holy word of the gods are under attack. In the west, the kingdom of Kellerhald receives the fleeing priests in their temples of the paladins of Silvius, god of the Sky.

Here, a young woman has just passed her tests to become a paladin. A pirate crew raids along the Azez Sea. An undead creature, wielding great power, roams the graveyard of Yetta. And a lost soul, crying out from beyond the veil, seeks out a pure hearted warrior to hear its plea.

Amid the turmoil of the revolution, Ilka’s mettle is tested. Rescued by pirates, she ends up with an unlikely ally: the pirate captain himself. The newly trained paladin finds herself collaborating with the undead, working with a vampire, and worst of all, longing for revenge against the man who has ignited the revolution in Sieunes: Francois Mond...

Death of an Innocent. Rise of a Paladin.

Book One in the Trilogy of the Tyrant, a stand-alone series set fifteen years after the Trilogy of Shadows.

Available on:

Vouched Book: "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds
Alexandra Bracken
Book #1 of The Darkest Minds series
Publication: December 18th 2012 by Disney Hyperion
Genre: YA Dystopia/Paranormal

Amazon B & N Goodreads

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

Vouched Book! "The Beginning" (The Four #1) by Margaret Millimore

Clare had an ideal life. She lived in the perfect little town, had a great family and four of the best friends in the world. She also had nightmares, nightmares that plagued her for almost a decade. But these are not ordinary nightmares; they are premonitions, warnings of what is to come and what she will become.

She discovers that she isn’t alone in these vile dreams; her friends are having them too. They are dreaming of their ancestors and their own future... The discovery of their destiny and the future they must embrace is shocking and terrifying.

"The Four" series summary: They do exist and they always have. They live, love, and work amongst us and they are part of us. But they are different too, they are stronger and they live longer. They are the topic of many books, movies and myths, but their existence remains a secret, not everyone would accept them. And like us, they have those that are simply evil. Keeping these evil ones under control is the price they must pay to continue the lives they love. They must protect their human brethren from the Dark Ones, those that would rather kill than preserve.

Century after century the good battled the Dark Ones, always prevailing and preserving the lives of their beloved humans. In the 17th century, two powerful Dark leaders emerged, they organized their forces and a bitter war ensued. It was a fight to the death and the good thought they’d won. Four warriors led the battle, four warriors whose strength was beyond anything they knew, four warriors whose legacy had to be protected…

The good formed a consortium and with the help of a powerful sorcerer, a spell was cast; a spell that would follow the warriors’ lineage in case their power was needed again. The warriors are long dead, but their heirs are not, and now they must fight. The Dark Ones have re-emerged, they are more powerful, more resourceful and they want to control mankind and the world.

Find it on: Amazon
Find Margaret Millmore on: Her Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: World Castle Publishing

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Four friends grow up together having the same dreams. With the help of a close, mutual friend, they set to find out what it means—only to learn about their destinies they have absolute no control over. They will change into paranormal beings whether they want to or not, and each of their roles are paramount to the races.

While it's not a new concept, I did find the story and ancestry aspects intriguing. The Peruvian, English, and Irish heritages of the characters certainly added flavor. The symbols and their origins, though not unique, were also interesting with the family history timelines.

Vouched Book! "Weaver of Darkness" by Melissa L. Webb

Seventeen-year-old Liss Taylor wants nothing more than to be normal. All she wants is to graduate high school, go to college, and marry her childhood sweetheart. But she knows normal is something she can never be. The constant nightmares of desolate wastelands and the tattoo she was born with is proof enough; normal is not in her future.

A Darkness is now creeping into her town. A Darkness which is weaving its way into the fears of those around it, causing terror to come alive and death to stalk the night.

Who is the new guy in school? What part does he play in all of this, and why does he seem to awaken a piece of her she never even knew existed?

Now Liss is in a race against time, joined by friends, old and new. It will take her places unknown and show her things she never dreamed possible. Will she be able to rise above the darkness and save those she loves, or will she lose everything, and succumb to the evil known as the Weaver of Darkness?

Find it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords
Find Melissa L. Webb on: Her Website | Twitter | Facebook

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Courtesy of the author, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and, quite honestly, ended up liking it—but only after trudging through the first half the book. While the beginning is okay—with the prologue of the Raggedy Ann Doll saving it and offering promise—the second half is fantastic.

The plot direction, Liss's true history, and every player's role are revealed at the halfway mark and can only be described as fairytale-like. Being that Liss and all her friends are writers (or "tale spinners"), it's apt and made me gush a little. The flow and dialogue improve—though yes, you should still expect the teenage pity-party and "forgive me/why me" conversations from Liss often.

I didn't connect with the her as much as I would've liked. She's not a "strong" female protagonist; she whined a bit too much for my taste, and I felt I was being told who she was than actually seeing it. Yet, Liss's band of friends and their loyalty to her despite her faults kept me reading. I fell in love with a few of them. Their personalities are much better developed than Liss's, and I'm contemplating getting the companion book, Restless Highways, just so I can read more of Hunter, Raven, and Cedric.

Weaver of Darkness isn't perfect, but Melissa L. Webb weaved some chilling scenes, wrote some great one-liners, and presented a couple twists and a good love triangle. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy and mystery, druids and a heroic shapeshifter, and who can overlook some writing/character mistakes.

Content warning: Mentions suicide—though the story doesn't include suicide in any way, the protagonist is falsely accused of it by other characters and repercussions and emotions involving sensitive matters are real.

On Goodreads

LUV'NV Rating:

Amazon.com Rating: 3.6 out of 5 stars