Welcome today's stop on the The Paladins (The Artisans #2) by Julie Reece Blog Tour presented by Month9Books and hosted by Chapter by Chapter. Today's stop is a review as well as a chance to enter the great giveaway that is being run throughout this tour.
After finishing The Artisans in just a couple of sittings, I was eager to get stuck in to The Paladins and see what would happen next to Raven, Gideon, Cole, Dane and Maggie and with no clue where the Paladins would lead given the ending of The Artisans and I have to say i really enjoyed the direction the story in the Paladins took and the found it to be a mesmerising read.
This story differed from the Artisans right from the get go in that the story is told not just from Raven's perspective but also from Gideon and Cole's and in fact the story starts off in Cole's perspective which was nice as previously we had only seen peeks of him and it was interesting seeing in his head and how being stuck in the void for 4 years and had changed him and how he was readjusting back to life outside the void.
This story takes starts a few months after the events of the Artisans. Cole is back in France and Raven and Gideon are together and supposedly madly in love but there is tension in their relationship and secrets.Strange things are also happening with the earth shaking, crazy blue fires and plants seemingly with a mind of their own.
I like Ms Reece's take on Raven and Gideon's relationship as being a work in progress. It felt a lot more realistic given how and what had brought them together. It wasn't automatic happy ever after but something they had to work together on. I loved the tension between the two and really felt their connection throughout the story.
I also found the story incredibly intriguing and it kept me glued from beginning to end. I had my suspicions about a couple of things which turned out to be right but I truly loved that didn't want to put the story down from beginning to end eager to find out how it all play out and also eager to try and learn some more background about the Artisans in general.
I am actually quite sad that this seems to be just a duology as there were a few plot points and things that triggered my interest from both books that i would have love to have more illumination on. I enjoyed this world and these characters and i am sad to be leaving them.
A truly magical read!
I give this book 3 3/4 stars
SapphiredDragon xx
About The Paladins (The Artisans #2)
The Paladins (The Artisans #2) by Julie Reece
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books
The Artisan curse is broken. Souls trapped in a mysterious otherworld called The Void are finally released. Now, Raven Weathersby, Gideon Maddox, and Cole Wynter can finally move on with their lives...or so they thought. If the ancient magic is truly dead, then why are mystical fires plaguing Gideon at every turn? What accounts for Raven’s frightening visions of her dead mother? And who is the beautiful, tortured girl haunting Cole’s dreams?
Last year, a group of lonely teens sacrificed secrets, battled the supernatural, and faced their own demons to set one another free. Yet six months later, the heart of evil still beats within The Void. And the trio is forced to face the horrific truth: that their only way out is to go back in.
The Paladins completes this eerie YA Southern Gothic where loyalties are tested, love is challenged, and evil seeks them on the ultimate battlegrounds—in their minds, their souls, and their hearts.
Go back to where it all started:
About The Artisans (The Artisans #1)
They say death can be beautiful. But after the death of her mother, seventeen-year-old Raven Weathersby gives up her dream of becoming a fashion designer, barely surviving life in the South Carolina lowlands.
To make ends meet, Raven works after school as a seamstress creating stunning works of fashion that often rival the great names of the day.
Instead of making things easier on the high school senior, her stepdad's drinking leads to a run in with the highly reclusive heir to the Maddox family fortune, Gideon Maddox.
But Raven's stepdad's drying out and in no condition to attend the meeting with Maddox. So Raven volunteers to take his place and offers to repay the debt in order to keep the only father she's ever known out of jail, or worse.
Gideon Maddox agrees, outlining an outrageous demand: Raven must live in his home for a year while she designs for Maddox Industries' clothing line, signing over her creative rights.
Her handsome young captor is arrogant and infuriating to the nth degree, and Raven can't imagine working for him, let alone sharing the same space for more than five minutes.
But nothing is ever as it seems. Is Gideon Maddox the monster the world believes him to be? And can he stand to let the young seamstress see him as he really is?
ABOUT Julie Reece:
Born in Ohio, I lived next to my grandfather’s horse farm until the fourth grade. Summers were about riding, fishing and make-believe, while winter brought sledding and ice-skating on frozen ponds. Most of life was magical, but not all.
I struggled with multiple learning disabilities, did not excel in school. I spent much of my time looking out windows and daydreaming. In the fourth grade (with the help of one very nice teacher) I fought dyslexia for my right to read, like a prince fights a dragon in order to free the princess locked in a tower, and I won.
Afterwards, I read like a fiend. I invented stories where I could be the princess… or a gifted heroine from another world who kicked bad guy butt to win the heart of a charismatic hero. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Later, I moved to Florida where I continued to fantasize about superpowers and monsters, fabricating stories (my mother called it lying) and sharing them with my friends.
Then I thought I’d write one down…
Hooked, I’ve been writing ever since. I write historical, contemporary, urban fantasy, adventure, and young adult romances. I love strong heroines, sweeping tales of mystery and epic adventure… which must include a really hot guy. My writing is proof you can work hard to overcome any obstacle. Don’t give up. I say, if you write, write on!
The Giveaway
· Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of The Paladins (The Artisans #2) by Julie Reece (INT)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
