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Wednesday, November 13, 2019

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


Hey, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Shami Stovall and her new book, “Dread Pirate 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!


Dread Pirate Arcanist
by Shami Stovall

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GENRE: YA Fantasy

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BLURB:

Continue the Frith Chronicles with the second book, Dread Pirate Arcanist!

While protecting the newborn griffins on the Isle of Landin, Volke Savan and his adopted sister, Illia, run afoul of the Dread Pirate Calisto, the same cutthroat who carved out Illia’s right eye. As a master manticore arcanist, Calisto’s strength and brutality are unrivaled, so when Illia suggests they bring him to justice, Volke wonders if they’ll have what it takes to fight the corsairs on the high seas.

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:

I missed my adoptive father, Gravekeeper William. 
       
The days spent as his apprentice seemed torturous at first, since I had never wanted to become a gravedigger, but now I understood how much he had influenced my life. He had been the best father I ever could’ve hoped for. I last saw him after I bonded with Luthair, a short time after my fifteenth birthday.
       
“Volke?”
       
“Yes?” I replied, recognizing Illia’s voice straight away. I didn’t even need to turn around. I knew she would walk over to speak with me.
       
Sure enough, she ambled to the edge of the rocky cliff, one hand on the brim of her sailing cap. Then she offered me a smile.
       
“Are you out here daydreaming?”
       
“No.” I slipped my hands into my pockets. “I wanted to spot some of the griffin cubs. I’ve never seen one in person before.”
       
Illia sarcastically lifted an eyebrow. “You weren’t thinking about the Isle of Ruma?”
       
“W-well, I might have thought about it for a moment.”
       
“Yeah. I know.” She stared down at West Landin, her only eye unfocused. “I’ve been doing the same thing.”
       
The wind played with her hair, revealing the twisted knife scars on the right side of her face. Her sailing cap kept everything in place, so I didn’t catch sight of the old wound for long, but I knew it was there.
       
I still remembered the first night that Gravekeeper William had brought her home. She had been five years old, and the injury hadn’t yet healed. The pirate fiend who had taken her eye had cut in deep, damaging the socket. She had to rest in bed for weeks, her skin pale and dappled with sweat.

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MY BOOK REVIEW:


This book is such an intriguing, inspiring, captivating, and thought-provoking read!!!

It was great catching back up with Volke, his “adopted” sister Illia, and the rest of the arcanist gang for another exciting adventure!

This book was a fun, quick, easy read that I was unable to put down!  The pages just flew right by and before I knew it, I was already on the last page!

This is the third book I’ve read from the talented writer, Shami Stovall.  A few months ago I had the privilege of reading her book, “Knightmare Arcanist,” which is Book One of The Frith Chronicles Book Series.  I totally loved it, so I was very excited to read her latest work, “Dread Pirate Arcanist,” which is Book Two of The Frith Chronicles Book Series.

This book focused on Illia and her brother, Volke, and their continued growth as arcanists.  They are in the middle of a competition to be assigned to watch over and protect the newborn griffins.  However, when Ryllin, the griffin ruler and father of the cubs goes missing his newborn son, Bedivere, wanders off and goes after his dad to find him.  The team of arcanists, Illia, Volke, Hexa, Atty, Zaxis, and Adelgis must now go searching for Ryllin and his son, Bedivere as they are top priority to find before they come into harm’s way.  Unfortunately, after the news breaks in town, two young brothers, Leo and Grant, determined to prove their bravery and hope to one day bond with a griffin go off secretly to find the missing cub.  Now, the team is not only looking for the griffins, but also two young reckless boys.  When Volke and Zaxis finally catch up to the boys who have found the baby cub, they realize they all have been badly hurt and are on the brink of death.  Can Volke and Zaxis save the boys and the baby cub, Bedivere?  Who hurt the boys and the cub?  Where is Ryllin?  Is he okay?  Who will ultimately be protecting the newborn griffins?  And this is all just the beginning of the book!!  There is sooooo much more to the story – there are pirates, a plague, revenge motivates, hidden treasures, magical secrets, plot twists, surprising misdirections, and so much more!!!!  Sorry, no spoilers here!!  But you definitely will want to read this book and find out!!

Like last time, I really liked the characters.  Illia and Volke were still ever so enjoyable.  It was great have so many returning characters come back and I enjoyed making new friends and enemies (lol) with the additional add-on characters.  I instantly liked Volke from book one and he was his same passionate, caring, determined, competitive, compassionate self!  Now, Illia was a bit of a spitfire in this book!  She really came out of her shell and was strong, sassy, fierce, sarcastic, driven, and a bit stubborn lol!  She also showed her vulnerable side and opened up about her past, her weaknesses, her flaws, and her desires.  It felt real, raw, and personable.

I think the author did a fantastic job on her character development as these characters were so real and personal on many levels and that says a lot as this book is part of the YA fantasy genre.

This book really showcased Illia and her past.  I felt she was more reserved in book one, but here in book two, she was more front and center as the main bad guy, Dread Pirate Calisto, was actually from Illia’s former life when she was just a young kid.  Calisto is the one who cut out her eye, feed it to his eldrin, and killed her parents.  He threatened to kill her if she didn’t behave.  Now that Illia is older, wiser, and an arcanist she is determined to set out for revenge since their paths have crossed again.

This book was definitely Illia’s story as book one was more Volke’s story.

I really liked that the author invites you further into her magical realm with book two.  This book provides more details and insight into new magical creatures and new magical powers.  It was exciting being fully immersed in this mystical, fantasy world full of enchantment!

I also really liked the scene with Kahtona when she addresses the citizens of West Landin about her family and her future plans.  What she and her son, Bedivere do is so sweet!  I have to admit, I honestly was in tears during this scene and a few others.  This book felt more personal as I think my connection to the characters was stronger and who doesn’t love a baby cub!!!

I really liked that this book is full of so many important take-away messages, valuable lessons, and morals that readers of ALL ages can enjoy, appreciate, and learn from!

I love the in-depth amount of research and world-building the author did while constructing this book.  The author provided so much detail and such vivid descriptions it made the scenes easy to picture – it was like a movie playing in my head.

This book has a creative story line, intriguing plot points, excellent action-packed structured scenes, fantastic writing style, well-developed characters, important and useful life lessons, instilled valuable morals, and keeps you fully engaged through the last page!

Unfortunately, I felt this book had a lot of similarities to the first book.  However, there was still enough unique material to keep this story fresh and new.  And as I delved further into this story, I was able to find a few more particular themes that stood out enough to allow this book to remain original.

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 two of The Frith Chronicles Book Series.  I personally wouldn’t recommend this book to be read as a standalone as there are many references to the previous book, continued story line, and character overlap.  Therefore, I would strongly suggest starting with book one.

This book does mostly have a tidy ending, however, there are still some overall unknown questions that remain unanswered.  So, there are definitely hopes for book three!

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:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/RUDVMIPM5CX9A

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AUTHOR BIO:


Shami Stovall grew up in California’s central valley with a single mother and little brother. Despite no one in her family earning a degree higher than a GED, she put herself through college (earning a BA in History), and then continued on to law school where she obtained her Juris Doctorate.

As a child, Stovall’s favorite novel was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. The adventure on a deserted island opened her mind to ideas and realities she had never given thought before—and it was at that moment Stovall realized story telling (specifically fiction) became her passion. Anything that told a story, be it a movie, book, video game or comic, she had to experience. Now, as a professor and author, Stovall wants to add her voice to the myriad of stories in the world and she hopes you enjoy.

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

Amazon Paperback:

Amazon Audiobook:

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.

9 comments:

  1. Shami ~ Good morning! Welcome back! It is always 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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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for hosting me, and I'm really glad you enjoyed! I can't wait to get the third book into the hands of readers, lol

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  2. Did you help design the cover of the book?

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  3. Thank you so much for taking time to bring to our attention another great read.   I appreciate it and thank you also for the giveaway. 

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  4. This is a new author for me! I wondered if there are any content warnings for this book.

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