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Thursday, July 18, 2019

Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Hi, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Shami Stovall and her new book, “Knightmare Arcanist”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Shami and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!


Knightmare Arcanist
by Shami Stovall

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GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy

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BLURB:

Magic. Sailing. A murderer among heroes.

Gravedigger Volke Savan wants nothing more than to be like his hero, the legendary magical swashbuckler, Gregory Ruma. First he needs to become an arcanist, someone capable of wielding magic, which requires bonding with a mythical creature. And he’ll take anything—a pegasus, a griffin, a ravenous hydra—maybe even a leviathan, like Ruma.

So when Volke stumbles across a knightmare, a creature made of shadow and terror, he has no reservations. But the knightmare knows a terrible secret: Ruma is a murderer out to spread corrupted magic throughout their island nation. He’s already killed a population of phoenixes and he intends to kill even more.

In order to protect his home, his adopted sister, and the girl he admires from afar, Volke will need to confront his hero, the Master Arcanist Gregory Ruma.

A fast-paced flintlock fantasy for those who enjoy How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, Unsouled (Cradle Series) by Will Wight, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan.

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EXCERPT TWO:

A flash of rain pelted the entire city, but only for a few seconds, as though the heavens coughed and forgot to cover their mouth. The man secured his pack shut, protecting his vegetables.

“Oh, this again,” he said.

“Does this happen often?”

“Storms happen frequently enough,” he replied. “This ain’t no storm, though. It’s those flashy arcanists. They like makin’ a show. Just you wait. You’ll see somethin’ good yet.”

Making a show?

I headed toward the docks. Despite the creeping chill, I moved with energy and purpose. Crowds of people clogged the roadways, making travel by foot damn near impossible, even for an arcanist. Frustrated, I jumped onto the wheels of a nearby carriage and used the extra height to pull myself onto the roof of a building. The A-frame roof made for a steep trek, but the tiles were easy to grip, even when wet.

Once on top, I turned my attention to the nearest pier.

A tremendous flash of lightning lit the sky. Thunder chased after, strong enough to rattle the windows and pierce straight to my bone. Luthair shifted through the shadows as another round lit the sky. I knew some arcanists could control the weather, but I had never seen a demonstration so showy before.

A flurry of snow soon followed, but like the rain, it lasted only a few seconds. People lifted their hands in the air, trying to catch the snowflakes as they approached the earth. Most evaporated before anyone could hold them, but I managed to catch a few on my tongue.

The ocean waters beyond the docks swirled into whirlpools. Two cyclones of saltwater rose upward, forming pillars of ocean as thick as forty oak trees, each stretching straight to the sky.

Rapt by the show of magic, I almost didn’t notice the massive leviathan snaking through the ocean. Its shiny scales glistened with each new flash of lightning. The serpent-like body must’ve been as long as ten galley ships and as thick as a three-mast sailing ship. Although the mystical creature never lifted his head out of the water, I already knew who he was.

Decimus—Gregory Ruma’s legendary leviathan.

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MY BOOK REVIEW:


A couple months ago, I had the chance to read and review Shami Stovall’s other book, “The Ethereal Squadron,” and I really enjoyed it.  So, I was thrilled to get the chance to read her latest work, “Knightmare Arcanist.”

This book took me on a magical adventure that was filled with innovative, mystical possibilities, clever storylines, and well-developed characters – or technically well-developed creatures!

This book was such a beautiful, intriguing, grim, and fascinating grown-up fairytale!

This book focuses on Volke and his so-called adopted sister, Illia.  Volke’s parents are referred to as blackhearts; his mother was a thief, and his father a murderer.  After his parents were sentenced, he was sent to live with Gravedigger William and he, like Illia, are both apprentice gravediggers, which are considered to be at the lower end of society.  Volke and Illia want more than ever to achieve their dreams of becoming arcanists – someone capable of wielding magic.  To become an arcanist it requires bonding with a mythical creature and Volke wants more than ever for that creature to be a Phoenix, which is the top-tiered creature and one of great nobility.

Unfortunately, after failing a publicly embarrassing and rigged trial test Volke is rejected as a candidate to be bonded with a Phoenix.  Before his dreams are completely crushed his sister, Illia finds out about a ship that recently crashed nearby that was carrying mythical creatures able for bonding and she and Volke head out to find it.  Will Volke and Illia find the ship?  Will Volke and Illia find the mythical creatures and be able to bond with them and achieve their dreams?

Volke and Illia also befriend Luthair, a knightmare, who tells them the most shocking news – Volke’s beloved and idolized hero, the Master Arcanist Gregory Ruma, the one who the whole town and isle is named after, is actually a secret blackheart who is murdering phoenixes and is bent on destroying the magical community.  There is so much going on in this intriguing, creative, and mystifying book!  No spoilers here!!  But you definitely will want to read this book and find out!!

I got completely lost in the story and felt the words come to life and leap off the page!

I totally loved the main characters – especially Volke!  His passion, desire, inspiration, tenacity, and motivation is inspiring!  The fact that he came from such a difficult background, was being forced to suffer through a deprived, uneventful life, and being given no advantages never deterred him, was proof that he was already special – arcanist or not.

I absolutely love the level of detail and specificity that the author spent on her world-building.  She wrote cohesively and consistently and left no detail unraveled.  Every variable always accounted for!

This book has so many important take-away messages that the author skillfully integrated into the storyline and plot points!

This book was truly an entertaining, refreshing, creative, stimulating read!  I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and could not put the book down!

This book genre is marketed as a young adult/fantasy book and yet the author found a way to throw in adventure, mystery, intrigue, and suspense elements into the book.  It definitely added a fascinating extra component to the story!

There are some predictable scenes.  However, there are still a few very unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!

This book is book one of The Frith Chronicles Book Series.  This book can absolutely be read as a standalone.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it!  I think all young adult fantasy readers will like this book too!  So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

Did you find this review helpful?
If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:

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AUTHOR BIO:


Shami Stovall relies on her BA in History and Juris Doctorate to make her living as an author and history professor in the central valley of California. She writes in a wide range of fiction, from crime thrillers to fantasy to science-fiction. Stovall loves reading, playing video games, entertaining others with stories, and writing about herself in the third person.

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CONNECT WITH SHAMI:

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Email:
s.adelle.s@gmail.com

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BookBub Author Page:

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

Amazon Paperback:

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

The Book Depository Paperback:

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Shami will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

5 comments:

  1. Shami ~ Good morning! Welcome back! As always it is a pleasure to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! I really enjoyed reading and reviewing your book, thanks for providing the copy! :)

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    1. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing it! It always makes me happy to hear someone enjoyed the tale. I can't wait to get everyone the sequel! :D

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  2. I've really enjoyed following the tour for Knightmare Arcanist and I can't wait to read it. Thanks for sharing the great posts along the way :)

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