#BlogBlitz Raven Fire by Emma Miles

 It’s my turn on the BlogBlitz Raven Fire by Emma Miles.

About the Author

‘I often get asked when I knew I was a writer; the answer is always. A writer is what I am, it’s in my soul. There have been times in my life when I couldn’t write, and times when my writing has been the only thing that kept me going. I think I always longed for something deeper from life, something more meaningful, and I found it in my imagination and in the music of words.

It was poetry which first caught my attention, and whilst my younger cousins called for ghost stories it was animals I first wrote of. I think I gravitated toward fantasy because of the freedom it gives, I could create my own worlds and decide my own rules. My Wind’s Children trilogy was born from an image that came to me whilst daydreaming, of a young man sitting alone below a bridge. I didn’t know who he was; it turns out neither did he, but we found out together.

I’m now working on my eleventh book and love writing more than ever, it’s an addiction, an obsession, but one I now share with my wonderful writing family. My beta readers, my editor, and you, my readers, having you with me on my journey means the world to me.

I write as much as I can around work, but I also try to squeeze in a ridiculous amount of hobbies! I’m a wildlife photographer and do a little archery. I paint, sculpt with clay, withies and driftwood, preferring to be outdoors if I can. I still have a love for the theatre, having started out in life studying backstage crafts, and a great love for language. I speak a little French, Romanian and Italian, ma non molto bene!

Thanks for reading this. If you read any of my books and love them, please come say hello and tell me, you’d be surprised at how much that means to an author. Take care of yourself. Em x’

Follow @EmmaMilesShadow on Twitter, on Facebook EmmaMilesShadow,

About the book

Is prophecy real; can Arridia and Joss defeat a god?

Evil never sleeps, and neither can the fire spirits who have guarded Kesta and her family so faithfully for more than fourteen years. United in a desire for peace, the four lands beneath the sky have enjoyed relative stability, but under the surface stirs unrest. Greed, ambition, disquiet, rebellion; and the ever-present threat of Geladan’s crazed god discovering she has been fooled.

Quiet Arridia is a Raven Scout, dedicated to the principles and hopes of her parents. When an opportunity presents itself to come home, she grasps it, longing to settle and find the love she has patiently waited for.

 Fun-loving Joss is drawn to the court of Elden with all its colour, noise, and intrigue; but has he taken on more than a young man can survive? Raven Fire is the final part of the breath-taking Fire-Walker saga. If you could, would you dare to change the world?

Review

This is the fourth book in the Fire Walker series and also the final one. I do think it would be a good idea to read the first books in the series to get a better overall view and feel for the characters and story. It can however be read as a standalone novel.

Raven Fire is for the majority split between The Fulmer Islands and Elden. In Elden the children of King Bracticus are struggling with the demands of a father who has certain expectations and thinks those should go before their own wishes and desires. And the Fulmer Islands are gripped by insidious dark witchcraft.

It’s the kind of story and ending that deserves a no hint review, especially for readers who have read the entire series. Miles certainly does it justice by bringing all the threads together – even if those threads have been woven through the entire series.

There are a lot of characters, almost too many to follow any one character well or give them more depth. Given the fact the reader is already immersing themselves into a complex fantasy world it makes it harder to get into said tale and what an ambitious and intricate story it is. I liked the fact it has a family saga vibe, giving it a generational fantasy feel. 

I also think there are opportunities for offshoots of this premise. Enough characters to create a story or series that evolves from this one.

Buy Raven Fire at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogBlitz The Raven Coven by Emma Miles

Today it’s my turn on the BlogTour The Raven Coven by Emma Miles. It’s paranormal fantasy with intricate world-building.

Enter the Giveaway below to Win 3 x Paperback copies of The Raven Coven (Open INT)

About the Author

Emma Miles: ‘I presently live in the stunning county of Dorset where I’m a cat slave to Wolfe and Piglitt. I spend as much time as I can outside in nature and love exploring and learning about new cultures and languages. I’ve visited Greece, Serbia, Transylvania, Sicily and Norway as well as making several road trips around our beautiful United Kingdom. I paint, sculpt, dabble in photography and do a little archery but most of all – whenever I get a chance – I write.

My writing started from a very young age when I often found myself being the one taking charge of and entertaining all my younger cousins. They loved to hear my stories and although they mostly called for ghost stories it was fantasy I fell in love with when I read The Lord of the Rings when I was ten. I went on to write stories and short ‘books’ for my friends through school and college; then one evening whilst I was waiting for my aunt and uncle to visit an image came to my mind of a boy sitting beneath a bridge. I didn’t know who he was or why he was there, but from exploring those questions ‘The Wind’s Children’ trilogy blossomed and grew with roots going back into his far history as well as stretching out to his future. The boy’s name was Tobias.

I have since left Tobias’s world of ‘Naris’ to explore the Valley with Feather in the ‘Hall of Pillars’ which is now available through Amazon. I am now presently finding my way through Elden, the beautiful Fulmer islands, the ravaged Borrows and haunted Chem with Kesta Silene; a shamaness of sorts with a big journey ahead of her. I hope you come along to share her story and join her adventure; she needs you and you won’t regret it.’

Follow @EmmaMilesShadow on Twitter, on Facebook, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit emmamilesauthor

Buy The Raven Coven

About the book

Kesta had left her heart across the sea. They were at peace, her people saved from slavery, and yet… her soul was uneasy.

Chem lies in chaos, its people suffering as a result of the death of the ruling sorcerers. Refugees flee the cursed Borrows, begging for help from those they had made their enemy. A Queen unknowingly makes a dark, deadly pact, and new powers rise to fill the seats left empty by the Dunham necromancers.

Review

This is the second book in the Fire-Walker series, and I would definitely recommend reading the first book The Raven Tower. It has quite complex world-building, a lot of storylines and characters, which may seem unclear if you don’t read the first. The fact the second begins with a series of correspondence between said characters speaks even more to the need to read the first book.

Kesta makes the ultimate sacrifice by leaving the man she loves behind, but in this book it becomes clear that her sacrifice may have been a lot of hot air. Saying it is one thing, doing it is something else entirely. When she reunites with Jorrun they both realise that neither of them can bear being apart. So the trick is being able to find a way to be together, despite the opposition and obstacles.

Miles has incorporated important topics such as the oppression of women, the prejudice, fear and discrimination against those who hold elemental power and the people who appear to be the enemy. Sometimes there are grey areas, and Kesta and Jorrun have to navigate these difficulties to find a way for everyone to coexist.

It’s quite interesting how the two of them find it hard to balance the fact they are powerful in their separate universes, however when one of them steps into that of the other one of them becomes less powerful, which is probably the real reason they find it hard to agree about certain matters along the way. In this case it’s Kesta, because she finds it hard to be relegated to a secondary position, hence the real reason for her inability to understand her adopted nation.

It’s paranormal fantasy with intricate world-building. Although Miles brings everything together at the end there is always an opening to take the story forward from that point. It has a paranormal aspect to it, however I do think this has more of a high fantasy feel to it. Again, I recommend reading the first book in the series to get the full flavour of the story.

Buy The Raven Coven (Fire-Walker #2) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.

Enter the Giveaway below to Win 3 x Paperback copies of The Raven Coven (Open INT)

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