Review for Effigy

Blurb:
The survival of a once-mighty kingdom rests in the hands of its young queen, Haleine Coileáin, as it slowly succumbs to an ancient evil fueled by her husband’s cruelty.

A sadistic man with a talent for torture and a taste for murder, he is determined to burn the land and all souls within. Haleine is determined to save her kingdom and, after a chance encounter, joins forces with the leader of the people’s rebellion. She gives him her support, soon followed by her heart.

Loving him is inadvertent but becomes as natural and necessary as breathing. She lies and steals on his behalf, doing anything she can to further their cause. She compromises beliefs held all her life, for what life will exist if evil prevails?

Her journey leads to a deceiving world of magic, monsters, and gods she never believed existed outside of myth. The deeper she goes, the more her soul is stripped away, but she continues on, desperate to see her quest complete. If she can bring her husband to ruin and save her people, any sacrifice is worth the price—even if it means her life.

My review:
Haleine Coileain's hopes for a happy future are ripped to shreds by her father's loyalty to their king. She's married to a sadistic prince and only sees misery until her husband's greatest enemy, Dana, climbs through her window. No matter how dangerous it is, Haleine cannot help but love Dana, and she agrees to spy for him to help his cause to bring down her evil husband. Yet there is something darker working within the shadows, something eager for death and chaos. Can Haleine find a way to save Dana and her people, or will she be sacrificed to the darkness herself?

My little synopsis of this amazing epic fantasy cannot convey the immensity of the tale. There are layers upon layers, each as thick and tantalizing as the last. Myths, monsters, magic, and mysteries. The world building is incredible. I was sucked into this vast realm which holds great beauty and tremendous horrors.

The cast of characters is large and marvelously diverse. Haleine is an admirable heroine. Forced into a situation she detests, I found myself cheering her on from the beginning even in her most miserable moments. Maddox is a loathsome man, the perfect evil prince, but not quite so detestable as his adviser, Omur. I couldn't stop myself from falling a little bit for Dana, the rebel leader, myself. And then there's Faolan, the wise-cracking mini pegasus. I adored him! There are so many other other great characters to list. Each well written and unforgettable.

There's so much I'd like to say about EFFIGY, but I won't give away any spoilers. There are so many twists and turns in this book, it will have you on the edge of your seat unable to sleep for wanting to find out what happens next. The journey is unlike none other. I highly recommend this book not only to fantasy fans, but to every reader. It will hook you so thoroughly, you won't be able to put it down.

Buy EFFIGY here:

Amazon US * Amazon UK * B&N

Find M.J. Fifield on her site!

Effigy Blog Tour - guest post by M.J. Fifield

Joss Is Boss

This post will contain spoilers.

There's a little known fact about me that I am completely and irrevocably obsessed with writer/director/demi-god Joss Whedon.

I first became aware of His Glorious Magnificence back in 1998 when I tuned in to my very first episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It was the season three premiere, Anne. That's the one where Buffy has run away from Sunnydale and is waiting tables in Los Angeles. There's a scene toward the end of the episode (written and directed by Joss Whedon) where Buffy battling a seemingly endless onslaught of goons pauses on a platform, weapon in hand, and glances behind her to her left. (It's the shot that closes out the opening credits through season six.) It looked so bad ass that I was immediately in love with both the show and its creator.

I haven't looked back since.

I love what Joss does with character. There's always a lot of talk about the strong, female characters he creates Buffy, Willow, Echo, Fred, Kaylee, River, Zoe, just to name a few and all of it is well-deserved, but the bottom line is that he creates amazing characters period, regardless of gender. We love Mal and Giles, Xander, Topher and the man they call Jayne. Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog saw audiences rooting for a character named Dr. Horrible whose ambition is to join the Evil League of Evil.

I also adore what Joss does with story. I love how in a 43-minute span, he can make you laugh and then cry all the tears in all the world. He will go for the jugular, and you still will beg him to hurt you just a little bit more (Name! That! Reference!). 

Look at "A Hole In The World," a fifth season episode of Angel also written and directed by Joss. The episode starts off with a funny debate over who would win in a fight - astronauts or cavemen - that continues to pop up at random moments during the episode, but before you know it, Joss has ripped out your heart and stomped on it right in front of you when he kills Winifred 'Fred' Burkle. The last line of the debate? A dying Fred saying, "Cavemen win. Of course the cavemen win."

There's also Wash and Book from Firefly, Phil Coulson in The Avengers, and Penny from Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. People make a lot of jokes about Joss killing off characters, but what it all comes down to is that Joss will always do what needs to be done for the best interests of the story, and that is exactly the philosophy I want to employ in my writing.

Thank you all for stopping by, and thank you, Christine, for hosting me today!

The survival of a once-mighty kingdom rests in the hands of its young queen, Haleine Coile?in, as it slowly succumbs to an ancient evil fueled by her husband's cruelty.

A sadistic man with a talent for torture and a taste for murder, he is determined to burn the land and all souls within. Haleine is determined to save her kindgom and, after a chance encounter, joins forces with the leader of the people's rebellion. She gives him her support, soon followed by her heart.

Loving him is inadvertent but becomes as natural and necessary as breathing. She lies and steals on his behalf, doing anything she can to further their cause. She compromises beliefs held all her life, for what life will exist if evil prevails?

Her journey leads to a deceiving world of magic, monsters, and gods she never believed existed outside of myth. The deeper she goes, the more her soul is stripped away, but she continues on, desperate to see her quest complete. If she can bring her husband to ruin and save her people, any sacrifice is worth the price?even if it means her life.

Available at Amazon~Amazon UK~CreateSpace

Add it on Goodreads

About the Author:

Armed with a lasting love of chocolate, purple pens, and medieval weaponry, M.J. Fifield is nothing if not a uniquely supplied insomniac. When she isn't writing, she's on the hunt for oversizedbaked goods or shiny new daggers. M.J. lives with a variety of furry creatures - mostly pets - in New Hampshire. Visit her online at mjfifield.com.

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Effigy Release Day!

It's Effigy Release Day!

EFFIGY (Epic Fantasy), Book One in the Coile?in Chronicles
by M.J. Fifield

Release date: July 22, 2014

Now available in paperback and on Kindle at Amazon and CreateSpace (other editions to follow soon!)

The survival of a once-mighty kingdom rests in the hands of its young queen, Haleine Coile?in, as it slowly succumbs to an ancient evil fueled by her husband?s cruelty.

A sadistic man with a talent for torture and a taste for murder, he is determined to burn the land and all souls within. Haleine is determined to save her kingdom and, after a chance encounter, joins forces with the leader of the people?s rebellion. She gives him her support, soon followed by her heart.

Loving him is inadvertent but becomes as natural and necessary as breathing. She lies and steals on his behalf, doing anything she can to further their cause. She compromises beliefs held all her life, for what life will exist if evil prevails?

Her journey leads to a deceiving world of magic, monsters, and gods she never believed existed outside of myth. The deeper she goes, the more her soul is stripped away, but she continues on, desperate to see her quest complete. If she can bring her husband to ruin and save her people, any sacrifice is worth the price?even if it means her life.

Add it to your Goodreads List!

About the author:

Armed with a deep and lasting love of chocolate, purple pens, and medieval weaponry, M.J. Fifield is nothing if not a uniquely supplied insomniac. When she isn't writing, she's on the hunt for oversized baked goods or shiny new daggers. M.J. lives with a variety of furry creatures?mostly pets?in New Hampshire's Mount Washington Valley. Effigy is her first novel. Visit her online at mjfifield.com, find her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Effigy cover reveal

The survival of a once-mighty kingdom rests in the hands of its young queen, Haleine Coileáin, as it slowly succumbs to an ancient evil fueled by her husband’s cruelty.

A sadistic man with a talent for torture and a taste for murder, he is determined to burn the land and all souls within. Haleine is determined to save her kingdom and, after a chance encounter, joins forces with the leader of the people’s rebellion. She gives him her support, soon followed by her heart.

Loving him is inadvertent but becomes as natural and necessary as breathing. She lies and steals on his behalf, doing anything she can to further their cause. She compromises beliefs held all her life, for what life will exist if evil prevails?

Her journey leads to a deceiving world of magic, monsters, and gods she never believed existed outside of myth. The deeper she goes, the more her soul is stripped away, but she continues on, desperate to see her quest complete. If she can bring her husband to ruin and save her people, any sacrifice is worth the price—even if it means her life.

Release date: July 22, 2014 

Cover art by Ravven

Mark Effigy to read on Goodreads

About The Author:
Armed with a deep and lasting love of chocolate, purple pens, and medieval weaponry, M.J. Fifield is nothing if not a uniquely supplied insomniac. When she isn’t writing, she’s on the hunt for oversized baked goods or shiny new daggers. M.J. lives with a variety of furry creatures—mostly pets—in New Hampshire. Effigy is her first novel.

Links:
M.J.'s website and blog
Ravven's site