Showing posts with label Norse mythology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Norse mythology. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Wraithsong

Title: Wraithsong 
Desirable Creatures Series, Book I
Author: E.J. Squires
Kindle edition, 328 pages
Published March 5th 2014

Seventeen-year-old Sonia is in her senior year when she realizes that she is even more different from her friends than she thought. One day there’s an incident with her and another student, proving she has the same ability to control people as her mom. Though she has had a few similar experiences before, this incident verifies exactly how different she is.
Things really begin to change when Sonia meets a senior named Anthony. Soon she finds herself consumed by him—which is shocking—because she’s just not one to fall in love. Anthony is handsome and mysterious, but that’s not what drives Sonia crazy. While other guys usually fight for her attention, Anthony doesn’t even give her the time of day. And even stranger yet, her ability to control people doesn’t work on him. Little does Sonia know that he keeps a deep secret too, and that that very secret holds the answer to who she really is.
With only a few weeks left of school, horrible things happen: Three of Sonia’s cousins, living in another state, are killed, and Sonia’s mom vanishes without a trace.
Anthony tells Sonia that her mom has been taken to an invisible island called Wraithsong, and that his mother is the abductor. To save her mom’s life, Sonia is forced to accept Anthony’s help and travels with him to find the island, but when Anthony’s mother discovers they are working against her, she sends someone to kill Anthony and capture Sonia.

I have read E.J. Squires debut novel, Winter Solstice Winter before, and I immensely enjoyed it. When I learned about her new book, I had to make sure that I get a copy of this. Once again, I fell in love with her newest masterpiece, Wraithsong - Desirable Creatures.

This story is about Sonia who has the power to control people with the use of her Huldra flair. With just a spit, or wet kiss, or anything that involves the saliva, she can easily control people, compel them to do her bidding and succumb to her wishes. Her mom, Hedda forbids her to do such thing before she reaches 18, but when she meets Anthony, her desire for the guy intensifies, she almost becomes out of control. She tests herself by leaving him a kiss on the cheek. But the problem was, Anthony seems to deflect her flair. Was there something wrong with her?

Soon, Sonia and Anthony find themselves entangled in a world of deceit, betrayal, fantasy and reality. They come to know about themselves, about being Darkálfars and Lightálfars. Their love is tested and judged. In the end, Sonia is torn in a decision and she isn't even sure she will be able to fulfill her destiny.

Wraithsong is an exciting Norse/Viking paranormal romance set in the modern times. The story nicely captures the overwhelming mythology of Huldras from Norway. This is actually my first time to read a story about Huldras. I admit, I am not an expert in Norse myths and legends, but I really found them interesting and highly engaging. Thanks to author EJ Squires, I was able to learn more about these desirable creatures. Every scene/chapter moves the story forward, unlike the others I have read which suddenly takes you back in time without premise. Wraithsong seamlessly blends romance and fantasy plus mythology with decadence and taste, I practically devoured it.

E.J. Squires has again impressed me with her knowledge with Norse mythology. I have given a 5 star rating to Winter Solstice Winter a year ago. Now, she seems to be on a roll. Here's another 5 star rating for a well-crafted and very original story that captured my heart.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Winter Solstice Winter by EJ Squires

Title: WINTER SOLSTICE WINTER
(A Viking Blood Saga - Book I)
Author: E. J. Squires
Kindle Edition; 464 pages
Published September 2013

In the land where ruthless Vikings and ominous shape-shifters roam free Eiess usurps the Northlandic Throne and suspends the seasons on Winter Solstice. Lucia, heir to the Northlandic Throne, is taken prisoner and wastes away in one of the castle’s towers.
Ailia, a peasant girl, goes missing, and wakes up in a glacier cave months later with no memory of how she ended up there. Soren, one of the Sentinors sent to defeat Eiess, has failed in saving Lucia and in defeating Eiess.
As Eiess continues to amass her forces, preparing for the battle to end all battles, Ailia, Lucia and Soren are about to discover that their lives are intertwined behind a veil of family lies. Determined to take back the throne, they begin to form an alliance, but their mission to overthrow Eiess is stalled when the family lies surface.
And when a forbidden love flourishes between two, jealousy, anger and duplicity arises, causing one of them to betray the others – a betrayal which puts their lives and the lives of humanity in grave danger.


Welcome to Midgard! Allfather Odin is pleased to meet you. Now, let Odin take you a thousand years before… during the times when the Vikings roamed the world and where wolves and shape-shifters wreck havoc in the Northlandic Kingdom!

The story begins with Ailia having a mare dream. In her sleep, an evil empress was chasing after her. Ailia had no idea what the empress wanted from her but she was terrified. When she awoke from her dream, she told her aunt about it and was concerned. Truth is, Ailia was mocked and condemned by her own friends when she told them about her mare dreams. Soon, she no longer felt welcomed in her beloved town because they thought she was cursed.

In the Northlandic Kingdom, Lucia, sole heir to the throne was grieving the death of her Queen Mother. In accordance to Midgard’s tradition, upon her Majesty’s death, two maidens were offered as sacrifices, to help the queen cross to the other realm. I actually found this scene quite intriguing, I don't know if this had been a Nordic tradition, but the mere thought of sacrificing oneself was beyond me.

Anyway, the kingdom was under siege by the evil Eiess, and Lucia was taken prisoner, thanks to a traitor aunt. It took her a long time before she was able to escape and learn about her twin sister. Ailia, on the other hand, woke up in a cave with no previous memory and soon she met Soren, who rescued her from shape-shifters. Soon thereafter, the three characters crossed paths and became entangled in a web of lies, deceptions, treason and secrets.

The main characters, Ailia, Lucia and Soren played vital roles in this magnificent tale. The scenes and the secondary characters were likewise rich. I can’t believe this was EJ Squires' maiden writing venture. I adored Squires' writing style; rich, dreamy and action-packed. She unmistakably researched the setting, and definite delineations of Viking life. While I was reading the book, I felt like I was also a part of the story, I even imagined myself as one of Lucia's handmaidens!

Overall, let me just say that I had a very delightful experience reading Winter Solstice Winter (Viking Blood Saga). The story was a little long but I was so immersed with the characters that I was surprised I have already reached the last page. I loved the idea behind this engrossing book set in Midgard, during the time of the Vikings of the Norse Mythology. I'd like to call Winter Solstice Winter as one of the best Viking saga ever written, a cross between Lord Of the Rings and Legend of the Seeker. This book had me running through a handful of emotions. I highly recommend this romantically historical tale to everyone who yearns to go back in time. An instant 5***** to author EJ Squires.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Evelyn J. Squires was born in the land of the Midnight Sun. When she  moved to the USA with her family in 1992, she completed High School and studied Comparative Literature at Brigham Young University. She married in 2003, and now resides in Florida with her husband and three children.

Get to know more about her book at: www.norsevikingsaga.com

Facebook author page:- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Evelyn-Squires/433410863398865

Twitter:- https://twitter.com/EvelynSquires / @EvelynSquires

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