Wednesday 24 January 2018

#bookreview | Amber Eyes | S.D. Grimm + blog tour!

Amber Eyes (Children of the Blood Moon, #2)Amber Eyes by S.D. Grimm
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If Scarlet Moon was thrilling, Amber Eyes just upped the ante even further. I don’t know how I’m going to survive until January 2019 for Black Blood. (I mean, I will, but still…) On a pure visceral, emotional level, Grimm is a pro-manipulator. By the time you’re midway through the book, you’re struggling with hope and fear and joy and frustration and ALL THE FEELS. Which was why, after finishing the book on Friday night, I had to go to sleep to deal instead of writing the review right away.

This book’s Ultra-frustrating Persons Award goes to Thea. Mostly because she is so extremely cryptic that you can’t decide whose side she’s really on—if she’s on any side. Because this clearly isn’t turning out to be black-and-white good vs evil, Feravolk against the Mistress of Shadows at all. Thea has concealed motives of her own, Franco seems to serve the Mistress but has other personal ambitions, the various camps of Feravolk and leaders still don’t exactly see eye to eye, and the Deliverers haven’t exactly fallen into line either.

Because if Love was important in Scarlet Moon, Individual Agency seems to be the theme of Amber Eyes. Serena has to decide between risking her safety to heal people or obeying the council and staying safe. The Healers must decide if they will help the Deliverers or stay hidden. Ethan can no longer lose himself in revenge, not without terrible repercussions, and he must learn to use his gift appropriately. Ryan still struggles with the black lion venom and with acknowledging that Jayden has agency of her own. Jayden… is not *as* frustrating in this one—she’s better at letting the others take care of her—but she’s still struggling with her Blood Moon gift and her destiny. Because right now, her gift is harming more than helping, and she doesn’t see how it can be very useful at all. And in the midst of all the conflicting hints and prophecies and orders and directives being thrown at her from all sides, she must learn to step up into her role as Deliverer, not mere camp follower.

Additional plus point: all the wonderful mythical creatures are coming out of the woodwork! Unicorns, kelpies, phoenixes, pegasi, gryphons, dragons, oh my!

Note: I received a digital copy of this book from Unicorn Questor for the Amber Eyes Blog Tour. I was given the book with no expectation of a positive review and the review is my own.

View all my reviews


About the Book

Destiny can be cruel. Darkness retreated from the light of the scarlet moon, but has since grown even stronger. The Mistress of Shadows has found a new pawn—one that may be the key to unlocking the door to her underground prison. Now evil threatens to escape its shackles and destroy the land. In the aftermath of loss and betrayal, Jayden’s fight with the enemy still isn’t over. But while she isn’t sure she can stop the Mistress alone, leaving her friends might be the only way to keep them from being consumed by the darkness. With lives hanging in the balance—and no time for error—can Jayden make the right choice?

About the Author

S.D. Grimm’s first love in writing is young adult fantasy and science fiction. She is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency and author of SCARLET MOON. She currently has four books under contract, including the remainder of her YA fantasy series Children of the Blood Moon. When she’s not writing or editing, Sarah enjoys reading (of course!), practicing kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu, training dogs, and binge-watching shows with great characters. Her office is anywhere she can curl up with her laptop and at least one large-sized dog. You can learn more about her upcoming novels at www.sdgrimm.com.


Facebook Launch Party


Calling all book readers! Join author S.D. Grimm as we chat about her fantasy novel Amber Eyes on January 30th from 8 PM to 11 PM EST (6 PM CDT and 5 PM PST). Grab your favorite drink and snack and be prepared for a fun time of chatting with SD, games, and giveaways. Special guests Nadine Brandes, Lindsay A. Franklin, and Sara Baysinger will also be sharing their books and joining in the fun.

RSVP Today


Giveaway

Want to dive into a new world? Enter to win a signed copy of both Amber Eyes and Scarlet Moon, a grimmlie dragon of the dragon on the cover (made by the author), a charm bracelet (made by her Captain America), and a $10 amazon gift card. (US only. Sorry!)

>>> Entry-Form <<<


Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, January 22nd
Tuesday, January 23rd
Wednesday, January 24th
Thursday, January 25th
Friday, January 26th
Saturday, January 27th
Monday, January 29th
Tuesday, January 30th
Wednesday, January 31st
Thursday, February 1st
Friday, February 2nd
Saturday, February 3rd
Monday, February 5th

2 comments:

  1. Anna, I have to laugh because your review is just so awesome! I'm so glad many of the things you shared wasn't just me who felt that way! :)

    Thanks so much for participating in the blog tour!

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  2. You said such wonderful things. :) Thank you.

    ReplyDelete