.jpg)
Book Info-
Title- Born in Flames
Series-Born in Flames Trilogy Book #1
By-Candace Knoebel
Publication Date-September 6, 2012
Blurb-
Red mirrored scales race up my arms as the haze of pain blurs
my vision. My bones crack, breaking to realign. I scream. It is then that the
realization of my unavoidable fate sinks in; I am of a dying race. I am dragon.
Aurora Megalos, orphaned and teetering on the edge of
adulthood, thought finding her past would curb the sting of being an outcast.
Having no memories of the time before she awoke on her foster mother’s
doorstep, she yearns for the emptiness inside her to be filled. With her fellow
orphaned best friend, Fenn, by her side, she has nothing to lose and everything
to gain. But something powerful stirred within her that she couldn’t explain.
Something wanted out.
In the dark of night, a crazed Seer, dubbed Mr.Creepy, erases
everything she’s ever known with an impending prophecy. She now faces two
paths. Return to her true home to protect a dying race against a growing evil,
or stay hidden in the safety of our realm with a shot at a true love. With a
vengeful Arch Enemy stopping at nothing to see her dead, she’s running out of
time; a decision must be made. What would you choose?
Our Review
My Thoughts
First off let me say this is a new author for me and this is the first time reading her stories and I have to say that this was a fantastic read.
All the characters in this story were engaging and easy to relate to.All the characters had a story of the own and bits of there past blended with Aurora Megalos future.
At times Aurora did seem a little whiny but, considering the burden she was carrying I will let it pass.Aurora came here from alternate dimension.Her guardian sent her here to protect her from her fate knowing that when the time came those in power would want to kill her off.Aurora was born to a couple who were of a different race one who was a dragon and the other a human making her a mixed bred and a forbidden bred.
Aurora was placed in foster care and shifted around a lot and was not treated kindly.She has now grown up and gone on her own with her long time pal Finn and things are starting to change.
Now that Aurora has almost reached adulthood things start happening to her strange things are happening around her and a lot of unexplainable things are happening.She is in danger. Her past is coming to light.She never felt she belonged she knew that she was different and could not explain why she felt that way she just did.
Aurora meets a seer who gives her strange warnings of things to come.Hints at her past and what she must do to fulfill her destiny.Aurora's destiny is to rule the Dragons and to become the most powerful leader there kind has ever seen.She must go through trials in order to prove she would be the one to lead them.
Aurora and Finns destinies are enter twined. They have been friends for so long things are changing and they both start to have feeling for one another but,Aurora is afraid to act on these feeling not wanting to complicate her friendship.Finn on the other hand wants to pursue it.But,she needs Finn in her life and loves him she just needs time to figure out how they can be together.They make such a cute couple I am rooting for them to find a way to be together Finn is such a cute and sexy protector. Who wouldn't root for him ?
The story unfolds and danger lurked at every corner.Secrets come to light for all those characters involved.We journeyed with Aurora to explore her past and we were with her when she learned about he abilities and that she was part Dragon and how to shape shift.When she forged new friendships.We saw Aurora blossom into a Fearless women and not the women who cowered to her past.
This story had tons of intrigue that always is keeping you on your toes and turning the pages.The story was captivating.It was about healing ones past. Forging new friendships.Becoming the women you new you could be.Finding out who your lost parents were.Learning they let you go to protect you so that you could also have a hand in choosing your own destiny.Learning of your past and being reunited with your love ones.Healing from past hurts. And last but not least dealing with the person you were born to be. Learning to embrace your Dragon side an become whole once again.
This story never had a dull moment .A young adult read not to be missed. A recommended read to all. As a reader I would like to see Aurora in future books and be part of her and Finn's latest adventure.
Our Review
My Thoughts
First off let me say this is a new author for me and this is the first time reading her stories and I have to say that this was a fantastic read.
All the characters in this story were engaging and easy to relate to.All the characters had a story of the own and bits of there past blended with Aurora Megalos future.
At times Aurora did seem a little whiny but, considering the burden she was carrying I will let it pass.Aurora came here from alternate dimension.Her guardian sent her here to protect her from her fate knowing that when the time came those in power would want to kill her off.Aurora was born to a couple who were of a different race one who was a dragon and the other a human making her a mixed bred and a forbidden bred.
Aurora was placed in foster care and shifted around a lot and was not treated kindly.She has now grown up and gone on her own with her long time pal Finn and things are starting to change.
Now that Aurora has almost reached adulthood things start happening to her strange things are happening around her and a lot of unexplainable things are happening.She is in danger. Her past is coming to light.She never felt she belonged she knew that she was different and could not explain why she felt that way she just did.
Aurora meets a seer who gives her strange warnings of things to come.Hints at her past and what she must do to fulfill her destiny.Aurora's destiny is to rule the Dragons and to become the most powerful leader there kind has ever seen.She must go through trials in order to prove she would be the one to lead them.
Aurora and Finns destinies are enter twined. They have been friends for so long things are changing and they both start to have feeling for one another but,Aurora is afraid to act on these feeling not wanting to complicate her friendship.Finn on the other hand wants to pursue it.But,she needs Finn in her life and loves him she just needs time to figure out how they can be together.They make such a cute couple I am rooting for them to find a way to be together Finn is such a cute and sexy protector. Who wouldn't root for him ?
The story unfolds and danger lurked at every corner.Secrets come to light for all those characters involved.We journeyed with Aurora to explore her past and we were with her when she learned about he abilities and that she was part Dragon and how to shape shift.When she forged new friendships.We saw Aurora blossom into a Fearless women and not the women who cowered to her past.
This story had tons of intrigue that always is keeping you on your toes and turning the pages.The story was captivating.It was about healing ones past. Forging new friendships.Becoming the women you new you could be.Finding out who your lost parents were.Learning they let you go to protect you so that you could also have a hand in choosing your own destiny.Learning of your past and being reunited with your love ones.Healing from past hurts. And last but not least dealing with the person you were born to be. Learning to embrace your Dragon side an become whole once again.
This story never had a dull moment .A young adult read not to be missed. A recommended read to all. As a reader I would like to see Aurora in future books and be part of her and Finn's latest adventure.
Links:
Barnes & Noble-Nook:
Book Info-
Title-Embracing the Flames
Series-Born in Flames Book #2
By Candace Knoebel
Expected Publication Date-June 17th
Blurb-
The Stone of Immortality has always been kept under the watch
of the Draconta. That is, until the
betrayal of a Fate. Now everything is about to change.
Aurora Megalos accepted her destiny without blinking-even if it
meant succumbing to her dragon side. Deemed the Progeny, she left the ordinary
life she knew and has done everything in her power to learn the ways of her new
realm and what it means to be part dragon. But when her mentor, Astral,
suddenly disappears, she is forced to take the reins.
With war on the brink, she sets out on an epic journey to not
only find her mentor, but to stop her Arch Enemy, Zordon, from obtaining the
Stone of Immortality. But what she discovers about him along the way is far
worse than she could’ve ever imagined. She will be tested and pushed to the
limit. Lives will be lost, love will be questioned, and a battle will begin.
Excerpt One:
Prologue:
I
was concealed in a cloak of shadows as I crept down the long and narrow
corridor. Even the stars were hidden, veiled by a swirling mass of clouds that
churned outside the open-arched windows.
Something
was wrong in the Hall of Knowledge. The lurking shadows were proof of that.
I
followed the sliver of light that peeked out from under the only door at the
end of the hall. The arctic bite of the stone floor sent chills up my spine,
goose bumps leaving their mark along my skin.
Voices
drifted along the breeze coming through the windows lining the ever-winding
hallway. I was almost to the end. Fear coiled itself around my composure. What
was on the other side of that
door?
Shadows
of the footsteps behind the door cast ghostly shapes upon the floor as I inched
forward. A pair of the pacing feet stopped mid-stride and turned, now quickly
moving towards the door. As the steps neared, the shadows seemed to crawl
closer and closer in my direction, threatening to swallow me whole.
I
nimbly took a step back into the cover of darkness as my breath caught in my
throat. My heart pounded behind my chest erratically. Had I been heard?
The
knob began to turn, and I squeezed my eyes as tight as they would go, bracing
myself for the terror that would surely come if I were found. But the door
didn’t open. Instead, the feet shuffled
hastily away.
I
let the breath I had been holding out in a silent rush as my heart began to
steady itself. My shirtsleeve caught the beaded sweat along my brow. Now or never, I told myself.
A
few steps more and I stood right outside the door, my sleeve now soaked with my
fear. I put my back to the wall and mercilessly pressed my ear up against it,
straining to understand the awful screeching of voices.
Now,
if I hadn’t been possessed by the white light that always seemed to save me in
the nick of time, then I wouldn’t have been able to make out what was being
said. In fact, I would have doubled over in pain from the sound of their
voices. The sound of The Fates’ voices was like a metal rake grinding across
another piece of metal.
And
that’s how they liked it. The Ancients were the only race able to understand
them. A blessed curse, Astral always said. He was one of the fifty, created
specifically to write the Oraculuses of mortal men. But Astral couldn’t help me
now.
With
heat building between my ear and the wall, I finally focused in on a voice.
“What
have you done?” asked one of the brothers.
“What
needed to be done, Saeth. We are not to create from ourselves. You have broken
the decree.” His voice rose as he continued.
“How
could you have given a piece of yourself? It’s repulsive and offends everything
we stand for. Do you not remember the fate of our beloved fifth brother?”
“Castian,
please,” said another brother, a voice lighter than the previous two.
“Not
now, Arcadia,” said Castian.
A
dry, monotonous voice cut in. “What’s done is done, Castian, and cannot be
changed, brother.”
“I
agree with Maison,” said Saeth.
“Indeed,
for then things would proceed in your favor,” said Castian, his tone laced with
scorn. “Your son cannot know that you have sired him, for if he does, then
everything we have created will
have been for
nothing.”
“He’s
right, Saeth. No one can know what you have done,” Arcadia conceded. “The fate
of the realms won’t hold up against what Zordon has been prophesized to
achieve. Astral has already begun
his Oraculus.”
Defeat
poured out of Saeth’s voice when he replied. “What must I do to correct this?
You can’t expect me to undo what I have done. We cannot interfere with the
living, and breaking another rule to erase my mistake won’t rectify the
situation. Nor will sacrificing me as we have done our fifth brother.”
“No,”
Castian slowly dragged out his words, “it won’t. Maison, go tell Astral to
cease his duties,” he commanded.
“Castian,
you can’t possibly…”
But
Castian interrupted him. “I can and I will. Tell him to stop. What’s written is
written and will not be changed. That rule will remain pure. But the unwritten
will be given to another. One who will
be deemed Saeth’s
son’s equal. One right to a wrong.”
“The
soul ripped in half…that sounds like an excellent idea,” Arcadia said in
delight, clapping his hands.
“Who
will this other be? And who will create this so called equal,” sneered Saeth.
I
felt my hand reach for the door, controlled by the spirit that possessed me. I
didn’t want to open it because I didn’t want them to know that I was listening
in, but what I wanted didn’t matter. This wasn’t really me. I was seeing
through another’s eyes.
The
light crept out and up the walls as the door swung open from the force of my
hand. The four brothers looked over to me, shock written on all of their faces
as they slowly stood like statues coming to life.
“I
think I have a solution,” said the female spirit possessing me, the voice of a
thousand angels in one.
Excerpt Two
Chapter One:
I closed my eyes
and focused on shifting. Scales raced along my skin as my muscles filled out.
Talons stretched out from my fingertips and toes. I flexed my hands and then
doubled over as my tail protruded out my back end. My clothes ripped as my
wings broke free and extended out, slightly shadowing Fenn and Astral.
I
opened my ruby-red eyes and saw the mystified look in Fenn’s eyes, the same
look he always wore when I shifted. I thought back to the first time I had ever
shifted in front of him.
“You’re
just a muscular, reptilian version of yourself, Rory,” he said as he reached
out and ran a hand through my hair. He leaned forward, softly kissing me as his
hands ran down my scaled arms
and pulled me into
him.
Such
a small, simple act had meant so much.
I
turned away from them both, ignoring the connection my pride had with my tear
ducts, and tried to remain focused with every inch of air I climbed.
So
far, I was still here, still in control.
I
spiraled in the faint breeze and inhaled deeply. All of my senses were
enhanced—a perk that came with being a dragon. I zoomed in on Fenn. I could
smell his fresh, musky scent and was reminded
of home. Not our
new home, but our old one—the apartment back in Hawaii. My heart ached for
Mily, our foster mother. I hoped she didn’t miss us too much.
They
were both staring up at me, hands shielding their eyes from the sun I hovered
in front of. “I’m ready to begin,” I called down to them. I tried to hide my
wariness as heat trailed out in curls
from my nostrils.
“Try
hitting her with something small,” Astral instructed Fenn, his voice sounding
like it was right next to me even though I was high in the sky.
I
zoomed in on Fenn again, bracing myself for his attack. I sensed his energy
building within him as his palms began to glow.
Every
muscle in my body tightened with anticipation as the scent of his magic
surrounded me-a fresh bar of soap mixed with a summer’s salty breeze.
“Temparo!”
he shouted, hurling his blue energy towards me. It was the controlling spell
that we had learned a few days back. My senses were so keen I could see the
spell coming towards me as if it were in slow motion. I jumped to the side, the
spell flying past me and down into a tree with a crackling smack. The wood
splintered out from the force leaving a wide scorch mark in its wake.
Fenn
boastfully smiled as his eyebrows rose, taunting me to challenge him. My heart
flittered a little. He was proud of me and that made me feel momentarily
invincible.
“Again!”
Astral said delightfully.
“Immoblatio!” Fenn tossed. I easily dodged
it again, watching the spell slowly hurl by me. My wings fluttered, a rush of
power surging throughout me as I headed for the ground. Being in the air gave
me the advantage against his physical attacks. I wanted more. I needed to know
that I could do it on my own.
I
mocked his earlier taunting smile as I let my feet touch the ground. “Let’s try
something harder,” I said daringly. “No holding back.”
A
shadow of a smile grew on Fenn’s face.
“I feel good and I want to see what I can
really do.” I hoped that I could keep things under control. I didn’t want his
smile to vanish.
I
backed up a few steps and stared at my clawed feet, inhaling deeply. It was
important that I remained focused so I could stay in control. And so I could
keep Fenn off guard.
“Pellum
Descendum,” I chanted, throwing the knock-back spell at Fenn. He ducked just in
time, pulling my legs out from under me at the same time. I wavered, and my
wings fluttered, catching my fall and lifting me a foot off the ground.
I
felt his energy building up once again, but I was too close to him to dodge.
“Silentaro!” he shouted, his energy hitting me directly in the face. My scales
provided a strong barrier. They didn’t burn
the way my skin did
when struck by magic, but they also didn’t stop magic from entering. I felt my
lips magically weave together, preventing me from speaking.
Steam
wisped out of my nostrils as anger sparked within me. I threw a hearty punch
but missed as he dodged and said, “Turbularum Vortum.”
I
was already off balance from the missed punch and was caught off guard by the
spell that hit my side. I flinched. This was one I had not been taught yet.
The
clouds seemed to fall from the sky as a black whirlwind surrounded me, lifting
me off the ground and into the spiked, cold air. I was being spun
uncontrollably inside the tornado, stunned and
unable to
counterattack. Panic set in as my anger grew beyond my human limit. The dragon
spirit in me pushed forward, refusing to take anymore of this beating.
No! I begged internally, trying
everything I could to remain in control. I focused on breathing evenly, but the
confine of the artificial whirlwind was suffocating me.
I
pleaded with my eyes for Fenn to let up. Awareness registered on his face and
then he pulled back, the spell finally dying off. I felt Astral’s strength
pouring into me, waiting for me to use, but I
refused as I
hovered above them. I was going to do this on my own or else.
Fenn
released me from the silencing spell. Probably out of pity.
This
made me even angrier with myself. “Don’t do that! Don’t take pity on me,” I
spat. The dragon in me was gaining more and more control by the second, pushing
me past the point of reason.
His
back stiffened as he glared back at me. “Suit yourself.”
I
felt a familiar darkness stir within me, urging me to give in to my untamed
emotions. Without thinking, I swooped down, grazing his face with the claws of
my feet, uncaring if it hurt. He was already
healing as I pulled
myself up into the air, ignoring his fiery glare.
“Protectio!”
I shouted. A shimmering bubble of protection surrounded me. It was only strong
enough to protect me against his next spell, but it would give me enough time
to prepare and counter.
“Immoblatio!”
he rebounded. I saw it coming and dodged to the right, swooping down and
landing behind him, tapping him on the shoulder.
“Pellum Descendum,” I said with a saucy
smile. He flew backwards once again, barely missing Astral who quietly stepped
out of the way.
Pain
shot throughout my limbs as my emotional state became leaden. I was struggling
with my dragon side, trying to remain in control. I fell to my knees as my
stomach convulsed. The dragon
was winning.
“Silentaro!”
Fenn’s voice sounded cold and indifferent. My protective bubble absorbed the
spell and vanished with a light pop.
He
stalked towards me, his fists clenched in determination. “Silentaro!” he
continued, moving swiftly with a vengeance.
My
lips sealed shut once again. I staggered backwards, clenching my side in pain.
Astral
stepped forward as if to stop him, but Fenn was in his own world, driven by the
anger of battle. Or worse, by my ignorance and temper. “Pellum Descendum!”
I
went flying backwards, the agony finishing off my last bit of control. A portal
opened up in front of me and Fenn stood over me. His expression had shifted
from hostile to apologetic concern. He extended an arm to help me up. “I took
it too far.”
But
I wasn’t in control anymore. I was succumbing to the darkness inside of me. I
fought hard, on the edge of slipping away completely, but it was too late. Even
Astral was too late.
Fire
ruptured from within, breaking the silencing spell and burning off the magic
Fenn had used to quiet me.
I
didn’t know I could do that.
Links-
Nook- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/embracing-the-flames-candace-knoebel/1115688168?ean=2940016566207
Facebook Event for
Embracing the Flames Tour- https://www.facebook.com/events/210049579150361/
About the Author-
Candace Knoebel had dreamed of being a dancer ever since she
could remember. With a love of all things art, she saw herself moving to New
York and pursuing her passion as an artist. But all that changed on October
10th, 2002 when she met the love of her life. Her dreams diverged and after
marrying her high school sweetheart and having two beautiful children, she
realized she missed her creative side.
Growing up alongside the Harry Potter series, Candace found
herself missing the epicosity of a story that pulls you in and won’t let you
go. In 2009, she began dreaming up characters that would mold her first novel.
Through lunch breaks and late nights, after putting her kids to bed, she built
a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five
Purgatory. She found her calling in life and knew this was more than dancing
could’ve ever meant to her.
Once complete in 2010, she began the grueling process of
finding a publisher. With relentless determination, she was finally able to
realize her dream in December of 2011 when 48fourteen offered her a publishing
contract. With a HUGE yes and a happy dance, she continues her Trilogy.
Author Links-
Pinterest- http://pinterest.com/dcknoebel/
Giveaway Info-
1 Ebook Copy of ‘Born in Flames’ & ‘Embracing the Flames’
four bookmarks
a necklace
a keychain
0 comments:
Post a Comment