YA Epic Fantasy
Title: Treason (Grimoire Trilogy #2)
Author: S. M. Boyce
Date Published: 10/27/12
Summary:
Ourea has always been a deadly place. The lichgates tying the hidden world to Earth keep its creatures at bay—for now.
Kara Magari ignited a war when she stumbled into Ourea and found the Grimoire: a powerful artifact filled with secrets. To protect the one person she has left, she strikes a deal that goes against everything she believes in. But things don’t go as planned.
Braeden Drakonin can no longer run from who—and what—he is. He has to face the facts. He’s a prince. He’s a murderer. He’s a wanted man. And after a betrayal that leaves him heartbroken, he’s out for blood.
To survive, both Kara and Braeden must become the evil each has grown to hate.
Treason, Book two of the Grimoire Trilogy by S. M. Boyce
Excerpt from chapter one
Kara pushed herself to her feet. “We should probably make our way
back to the mansion, Braeden.”
“Nope,” he said.
“What do you mean, ‘no’?”
“You wanted to learn to fight. We haven’t
trained today. We need to spar.”
She groaned. They’d been sparring. She’d healed dozens of bruises and even a broken
finger, all evidence to the fact she was barely able to react in time to a
sword coming at her face, much less a magical technique. She just wasn’t a very
good fighter.
“But—”
He laughed. “You’ll never get better if you
don’t practice. Come on.”
He drew his sword.
Her stomach twisted. “Right here? Seriously?
On a ledge? Those are rapids!”
“Yes. Today, it’s all about controlling your
opponent’s movement and fighting in difficult terrain. Since you aren’t strong
in this environment, drive me back up the stairs and to the forest, where you
have more room to move. Also, you should never be without a sword.”
“But I don’t have one!”
“That was my point.”
“Shouldn’t I practice one lesson at a time?”
In answer, he swung his sword at her arm. She
pressed her back against the cave wall, ducking the blow seconds before the
blade cut the air. Goose bumps crawled up her neck.
Braeden laughed. “The best way to learn is
baptism by fire. Let’s go!”
Kara ducked another swing and looked around,
but she had no tactical advantage. Braeden blocked her way to the stairs. She
couldn’t run past him or—she glanced over the ledge at the tumbling river
below. Nope, she was not jumping into
that. Her only escape was a nearby hole in a ledge that ran above her like a
catwalk. If she could—
Braeden shifted his weight onto the balls of
his feet, apparently ready to lunge and end this whole bout before it began.
No time to
think. Just go.
Kara sprinted away, toward the gap. Braeden followed,
and Kara jumped for the ledge seconds before he lunged. She grabbed the
walkway, the splinters of rock digging into her arms as her momentum lifted her
legs out of Braeden’s passing reach.
His fingers brushed her ankle, sending a
shiver up her leg. She resisted the impulse to smile at the tingling sensation
his touch left behind. It made her think of his hand on her back, of their
kiss—
“Clever!” he said.
Focus, Kara.
She pulled herself onto the ledge and wished
she had a witty response, but she’d learned that
lesson the hard way during an earlier match. She had distracted herself by talking, instead of
distracting him like she’d hoped. Braeden had tripped her and knocked her clean
onto her back. Dialogue was yet another weapon, one that required practice. Let
the better fighters banter. Lesser fighters focus.
Kara got to her feet and raced along the
upper pathway toward the waterfall, her satchel bouncing against her back while
she ran as fast as she could. Braeden would be faster, but she had to try.
The ledge curved around a bend in the cave.
Her feet pounded against the rock, sending shards of cave wall sprinkling to
the ground below. The walkway likely hadn’t seen action like this in its
lifetime. She hoped it wouldn’t crumble.
Braeden’s steps echoed from under her as the
edge of the catwalk came into view. It would end about ten feet before the
stairs, so she picked up her pace. She couldn’t slow down, or Braeden would
catch her.
Five feet away, now.
Two feet—
Jump!
Kara kept her eyes where she wanted to go,
just as Braeden had taught her the last time they’d sparred. She’d tried to
jump from a tree and wound up in a bramble bush.
Instinct and a dozen failed attempts in prior
matches told her to tuck her head, to curl onto her shoulder and let the
momentum propel her forward.
Rocks dug into her neck and shoulder before
pushing against her back, but nothing stung. She rolled back onto her feet and
took off again, not daring to look back for Braeden. She would probably trip if
she did.
She grinned, adrenaline numbing her
fingertips as she ran. She had no earthly idea how she would do it again, but
to hell with it. She’d finally rolled!
Kara followed the path as it curved and
disappeared behind the waterfall. The water misted along her neck, blocking all
light as she passed behind it. She let her feet find the stairs as she bolted
up two at a time. Braeden’s light breaths came from somewhere in the darkness
behind her.
Green sunlight illuminated the top of the
stairs, the light blocked by a thick canopy of trees. Brown blurs came into
view—bark. There would be a root right when she rounded the last stair, so she
had to be careful not to—
Kara’s foot hooked on the root anyway.
She shot forward and skidded along the dirt
path. Sticks left gouges in her arms. Her cheek stung.
She wiped her hand over her face, but that just made the stinging worse. Blood
stained her fingers when she pulled away.
A sword glinted in Kara’s peripheral vision.
She sprung to her feet. Braeden stood a short way off, without a scratch on
him. He grinned.
“Falling was an interesting choice,” he said.
“Cute.” Kara rolled her eyes and brushed dust
off her clothes.
My Thoughts:
First and foremost, let me just say that to read book two before reading book one would be a terrible mistake. You will miss out on so much! So, read them in order. :)
I love this series. First, because of the originality. It's great to read books that are similar and to compare and contrast them, but it's even better to read books that are unlike anything you have had the pleasure to read.
Second, because of the characters. The romance that heats up between Kara and Braeden just brings a smile to my face. I love their banter and how they get along with each other to a point. The characters in this book also show a great deal of character development. It really made the book seem like it was progressing that much better. It didn't allow for dull areas in the story and you didn't feel like the characters were stuck in place spinning their wheels.
Book 2 in this series is even better than the first and just makes me want the third book that much more! A must read!
My Rating: 4 Stars!
Links to Buy
About the Author:
S. M. Boyce writes fantasy and paranormal fiction. Boyce is a sarcastic twit, but she still has friends because some people seem to like that. She’s currently working on the YA epic fantasy series the Grimoire Trilogy. Lichgates, the first in the series, is already available. Treason (book 2) releases October 27. Feel free to connect with her online or check out her blog.
CONTACT
Thanks for the review! I'm glad to hear you're loving the series.
ReplyDeleteOh, and if you'd like to get an ARC for the finale, please feel free to sign up for one here.
Thanks for the link to sign up!
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