Today I'm taking part in the blog tour for The Warlock's Curse hosted by Candace's Book Blog Book Promotions.
ebook, 341 pages. (Provided for me for the tour).
Published October 31, 2012.
Published by Demimonde.
Summary:
THE YEAR IS 1910. Eighteen-year-old Will Edwards has landed a prestigious apprenticeship at Detroit’s Tesla Industries, the most advanced scientific research center in the United States. It’s a plum prize for a young man who dreams of a career in the new science of Otherwhere Engineering.
But his father doesn’t want him to go. And he won’t tell him why.
Determined to get there by any means necessary, Will finds unexpected support along the way. His old friend Jenny Hansen—daughter of a San Francisco timber baron—is eager to help him for reasons of her own. And so is his estranged brother Ben, who he hasn’t seen in over ten years.
But running away turns out to be the easy part. On the first full moon after his eighteenth birthday, Will is stricken by a powerful magic—a devastating curse laid upon his ancestors by the malevolent sangrimancer Aebedel Cowdray. Will must find a way to control the magic that possesses him—or the vengeful warlock’s spirit will destroy everything and everyone he loves.
My Review:
This was a really enjoyable book! There were so many great things about it.
The prologue definitely set an interesting tone. It describes the struggle that witchhunter Anson Kendall faces in trying to get revenge on warlock Aebedel Cowdray and finish his father's work, but the warlock places a curse on Anson and his family, promising to return in the bodies of his descendants and do evil on the nights of the full moon. This was written in an excellent style which was extremely effective for the subject matter. The prologue would not have had the same impact had it not been written the way it was. I really enjoyed it.
On to the story itself:
I thought the characters were fantastic. Will is a wonderful, brave young man with big dreams that his family does not approve of. He gets so tired of his father holding him back, so he stands up for himself and took a big risk to chase his dream, which I really admired.
I also really liked Jenny. She is a smart, fun girl who is not afraid of chasing some adventure. I really enjoyed the teasing, often flirty chemistry between the two, but that they still appeared just like the old friends that they are. I thought it was great too that they could learn from each other the whole way through.
The world building was fantastic. This novel is set in an alternate version of our world which is filled with not only technological advances of the early 1900s, but also with magic. There are so many implications of having magic as a real, integrated part of the world, and Hobson has covered many of them in her writing. So many aspects of the magic are worked into the world so well that it doesn't seem out of place, despite the fact that that was not what our world was like at all. The world, that is so like ours but still so different, really comes alive and feels real.
This story ended up being a lot more intense and darker than I had expected. This didn't mean, however, that I didn't enjoy it! While I was surprised at some of the wild and sinister things that happened, I was definitely enthralled in the story. I'll admit I was a little disappointed in the ending, mostly because Will isn't who I want him to be at the end. This may be completely different from what others wanted or imagined, though.
Overall I thought this was a great novel that really captured and maintained my interest and my curiosity throughout. It had great characters and an amazing world.
4 stars!
About the Author:
M.K. Hobson’s debut novel, The Native Star—the first book in her Veneficas Americana series—was nominated for a Nebula award in 2010. She lives in the first city in the United States incorporated west of the Rockies. Her favorite writers are Theodore Dreiser, Sinclair Lewis, Booth Tarkington, Gore Vidal, and William S. Burroughs. The Warlock’s Curse is her third novel. You can find out more at her website, www.demimonde.com.
Website: http://www.thewarlockscurse.com/
Twitter: mkhobson
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mkhobson
Book trailer: http://youtu.be/oyrYAfu8IMg
Now for the giveaway!
There is a shared giveaway going on for the tour. You can enter below.
Up for grabs is:
Prize package of *signed* copies of The Native Star, The Hidden Goddess and The Warlock's Curse as well as a swag pack of a Tesla Industries pin, magnets and a sticker *not shown*.
*Open to US only*
13 ebooks of The Warlock's Curse
*Open worldwide*
Ends 12/30/12
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Oh yeah, it had a bit of a cliffhanger as far as Wills situation goes. But I'm I'm pretty sure the next book will end with a HEA, as that seems to be the authors way of doing things (thank goodness!) Its just a journey getting there. :) I'm so glad you enjoyed it though and I hope you'll consider reading The Native Star and The Hidden Goddess, which is about Wills parents. Personally I liked them even more!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for reviewing the book and being a stop on this tour!
I'm excited to read the next one and see what happens! I like that I'm invested in the characters and really want to know. I will definitely check out the previous two books; they sound great! Thank you for letting me take part and for stopping by my post :)
DeleteAhhhh, another twentieth-century one - but this one sounds kind of cool! Intense and dark is definitely my thing. I;m so glad you enjoyed it! Especially since it was for a tour. There is so much pressure for tours, to have a good, positive response.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
It was definitely different from a lot that I've read. I think you might enjoy it! I agree, there can really be pressure to like the book you're featuring on a tour. Luckily this one was great! :)
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