Friday, June 20, 2014

REBORN blog tour - review & giveaway

Blurb:
To save a kingdom, a prophetess must challenge Fate.

On the day of Yssa’s death and rebirth, the god Apenth chose her as the Phoenix Prophetess.

Sea serpents and gods endanger the young prophetess’s journey and sour the omens. Yssa is cursed instead of blessed, and her duties at the Temple of Apenth prove it. She spends her days reading dusty scrolls, which does nothing to help her forget Tym, the boy back home. But the annoying yet gorgeous ferryman’s son Liam proves to be a distraction she can’t predict, even though he rarely leaves her alone for two sand grains.

Her boring temple life screeches to a halt when visions of her parents’ murders consume her. Yssa races across an ocean to stop the future. If she can’t change Fate, she’ll refuse to be the Phoenix Prophetess any longer. Fate, however, has other plans for her and the kingdom.

Yssa must either accept her destiny or fight to change Fate.


My review:
Yssa grew up on a small island, happy and loved, but she always knew her destiny was elsewhere. She is the Phoenix Prophetess, Apenth's chosen one. She is whisked away from home to serve the Queen, seeing great wonders and facing dangers beyond imagination. As the heavy weight of her position slowly smothers her, she has a vision of her parents' murder. She must save them at the risk of everything else. Can Yssa challenge Fate and win or will she find herself a mere cog in its ever-grinding wheel?

REBORN is the fantastic first book in The Fate Challenges and Cherie Reich's debut novel. The world building is astounding. The people, the cultures, the history, and the lore. Each layer is peeled back as we learn about the world through Yssa's eyes. The wonders and the horrors. I particularly love how the gods mingle with the mortals. The gods do walk among them and whisper in their ears.

Yssa is a strong and sympathetic heroine. I loved seeing her grow not only in her role as the Phoenix Prophetess, but from a small island girl into a young woman to be admired. Liam is the perfect complement to Yssa. He's a bit cocky and sharp at times, but he easily won me over. Their relationship is sometimes rocky and other times sweet. The cast of characters is large and wonderfully varied, but the Queen, Ariala, and the gods themselves are included in my favorites.

With great characterization and a marvelous story, this YA fantasy is not to be missed. I cannot wait to read the next installment in the series.



Available in Ebook and Print!

Click here to add on Goodreads.

A self-proclaimed bookworm, Cherie Reich is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, and her books include the horror collection Nightmare, a space fantasy novella collection titled Gravity, and the fantasy series The Foxwick Chronicles and The Fate Challenges. Reborn is her debut novel. She is Vice President of Valley Writers and a member of the Virginia Writers Club and Untethered Realms. For more information, please visit her website.

 
Cherie and the authors of Untethered Realms are giving away over $50 worth of books to one lucky winner. The giveaway is open internationally.


 

13 comments:

  1. Fantastic review! Reborn is definitely a book I hope to get my hands on someday. I'm always a sucker for anything fantasy, and it doesn't hurt that Cherie is such a great writer, too!

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  2. All of her stories have featured great world-building. Congratulations, Cherie.

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  3. What a great cover! Congrats to Cherie.

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  4. Thank you so much for the review, Christine, as well as hosting me during my blog tour!

    Aww, thank you, Heather!

    Thanks, Alex! I wouldn't mind being well-known for my world-building skills. ;)

    Thank you, Dana!

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  5. Good world building deserves applause. I'm applauding, Cherie!

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  6. You're welcome, Cherie! It's an awesome book. Can't wait for Apenth's interview on Monday. :) Hi to everyone! I'm back from Canada. Have a great weekend!

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  7. sounds awesome! i love the idea of a phoenix prophetess and how she began so humbly!

    congrats Cherie!

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  8. I am adding this book to my TBR list. Cherie's world-building skills have left me speechless.

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  9. Wow, Cherie's blog tour is immense! And what a great review you've given it :-)

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  10. This book is everywhere - superb tour! Wishing you much luck Cherie... and great review Christine! :)

    shahwharton.com

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  11. What an amazing review! I have this one on my list. I love the cover and the story line sounds fabulous. Thanks for sharing! :)
    ~Jess

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  12. Hi Christine,

    How delightful to be part of the tour for the lovely Cherie. Great blurb and most informative, thoughtful review.

    All the best and congrats to Cherie.

    Gary :)

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  13. Aww, thank you, Lee (cleemckenzie)!

    Glad to see you made it back, Christine!

    Thank you, Tara!

    I must admit I'm pretty proud of my world-building, Rachna. I'm glad others are noticing the effort. :)

    I feel so lucky we have so many wonderful bloggers around to help out, Annalisa!

    Thank you, Shah!

    Thanks, Jess (DMS)!

    Thank you, Gary (klahanie)! :)

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