Fantasy novel - Kindle

[Susan Crealock]

There is no description accompanying this listing, but from the review of the print edition, it appears to be dark fantasy. Pre-order for auto-delivery May 11.

Title: The Scent of Shadows Free with Bonus Material by Vicki Pettersson.

Description: None.

Susan Crealock
Online Novels

[greencat]

Here's the description of the print edition:

Despite its romance pedigree (Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris contribute advance praise), this moody, fast-paced debut falls into the growing "dark fantasy" category, which blends fantasy, comic book superheroism and paranormal romance, but holds no promise of a happily-ever-after. The book's heroine, Joanna Archer, has spent the years following a brutal attack learning martial arts and trolling Sin City, Nev., for trouble. On the eve of her 25th birthday, she finds it in the form of a peculiar date who looks like a gaunt banker one moment and like hell spawn the next. Joanna fights her way out of his grasp, but her close encounter is only the beginning. Before long, she finds herself caught up in a world where a superhuman few—the Light—fight evil from the Shadow realm, a world in which she's recognized as the "Kairos," a prophesied warrior made up of both Shadow and Light who's destined to help Light prevail. Pettersson centers her story around the signs of the Zodiac, putting an imaginative spin on a familiar setup. Though graphic scenes (in which tongues are severed, heads ripped off, etc.) will repel some readers, others will embrace Pettersson's enduring, tough-as-nails heroine and anticipate gleefully the next volume, due in April.

[koland]

Please include the title of the book when posting these (could the mod update the thread title?). It's impossible to tell this thread from dozens of others, otherwise.

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by greencat

Despite its romance pedigree (Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris contribute advance praise) ...but holds no promise of a happily-ever-after.

Neither Kim Harrison nor Charlaine Harris write "romance"....both explore various relationships for their protagonists, but they're not "romance" authors. Neither promises a happy-ever-after for the characters, either.

[greencat]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Neither Kim Harrison nor Charlaine Harris write "romance"....both explore various relationships for their protagonists, but they're not "romance" authors. Neither promises a happy-ever-after for the characters, either.

I don't know Kim Harrison - but I'd say Charlaine Harris is definitely dark fantasy - and perhaps that's what the description writer is referring to? And the "romance pedigree" is referring to the author's/publisher's previous work perhaps?

I agree - It is poorly worded. I still grabbed it for the missus though (she likes True Blood and I'm trying to wean her off some really terrible historical romantic fiction which seems to include lots of horse riding and trying not to be wanton).

As a bloke though - I have to say that the main (and best written) elements of Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries seem to be the romantic ones. It seems like the main protaganists spend a lot of time deciding who to be with. And sometimes the plots are really just a framework to hang it all on (well established characters seem to disappear overnight or begin behaving out of character in order to provide a new opportunity for romance for example). The equivalent series targeted at lads would have a very different emphasis I reckon!

[koland]

There is some "romance" in the series (not so much in the ones quoted in review posted). Since that was a review (tsk, tsk, not supposed to repost those in their entirety) and not the actual product description, I'll include that below:

When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert.

By rights, she should be dead.

Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset—a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow—seeking answers to whom or what she really is . . . and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.

But the nightmare is just beginning—for the demons are hunting Joanna, and the powerful shadows want her for their own . . .

You won't find the romance tag on it's product page (unless a reader added it). The publisher marked it as Horror, Dark Fantasy.

For those who prefer EPUB or don't have a Kindle, you can get it at Kobo (at least, those in the US can) for free as well, HERE. Even better, since it isn't the "free" edition, you can download it right now and start reading. It does not, however, seem to qualify as "buying" a book in their contest for a Kobo Ereader (then again, it is free!).

Since it is now multi-store (and bound to be in more soon, as it is a "free version"), there is more than one fantasy book available for the Kindle and it's free, could a moderator change the thread title? Perhaps:

Free Book - The Scent Of Shadows

[cheerio6414]

Thanks