The Gift Review Tour

Blurb:

Tucker Littlefield is a liar, a thief, a con-man. In an attempt to take advantage of a party thrown by the King, he becomes involved in a kidnapping – the King’s niece, Elizabeth, to be exact. Because of his fear of the dark as well as heights, and a good many other things, he finds himself stabbed and bleeding to death. To save him, a Shaman for the Jonda – Daneba – turns him into a soul bearer for the Kindred. In an effort to find Lizie, Littlefield finds the Norha instead and their leader Tahki - a cannibalistic tribe the lives under a volcano that will leave no stone unturned to find Lizie. Littlefield is blackmailed into her recovery. Will the help of his companion, Enon, help them save Lizie...and themselves?

"Transformed by a primitive magic beyond a civilized man's understanding, I was given a horrible gift that no man should possess... It held me, twisted me, turning me at its bidding. I was enslaved by its power, compelled to devour the souls of the dead until I became the monster of my fears. I have seen things I wish never to see again. I have done things of which I wish never to speak. Yet I must if I am to find the answers to fulfill my hope. I have walked upon blue ribbons of molten stone to peer into the depth of a man's soul. I watched as a promise made at birth brought my friend Enon to sacrifice everything to become whole again - all in an effort to save the life of his child. I have cried without shame for the loss of all I hold dear and for fear that the future will hold more than I can bear. I am Tucker Littlefield. Know all that I say now is true-spoken."

Excerpt:

The wind howled louder as the clouds darkened, deeper and deeper. Lightning flashed wildly overhead, coming closer with each new strike. Thunder roared, crushing the air, pushing me down tightly to the ground. The fire strained to its limits, jumping to me and then suddenly to Enon’s heart and that of the dog. Both screamed in agony, as did I. The howl of that wind shrieked louder, drowning out the others. Pain racked every inch of my body.

I was overwhelmed with all that was taking place about me and then she did the unthinkable. She summoned from each, a wisp of themselves, their spirits, their souls, tore free from them to enter me through the hole in my palm.

A stir of Enon’s mind filled me, for a moment, a rush of memories and images not my own. For that instant I was engulfed with anguish, a loneliness that reached far beyond my own. The images of his life raced by in torrents, every pain, every rejection from his people as well as mine.

I was overwhelmed, filled with the images of every soul he had seen into. Every life, every lie, every deceit, every ugly thing man and Jonda alike had tried to hide from him. Even my own. He was an outcast in both societies, befriended by none and yet his sorrow was for them all.

My Review:

4 stars

Fin and witty dialogue, plenty of action and adventure, intriguing characters, and a well-written and engaging plot…this story has it all. Complete with a complicated hero who’s not very heroic (I’m still not sure how I feel about him even now). The only downside is since the story was short, the world building wasn’t as detailed as I feel the story deserved. All in all though, this is a fun start to an interesting new series, and I look forward to reading the remaining books.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

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Author Bio and Links:

I was raised pretty much the same as everyone else... devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends I could conjure.

The first thing I can remember writing was for my wife. For the life of me I can't remember what it was about... something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married me shortly after that. I spent a good number of years chasing other dreams before I got back to writing.

It wasn't a deliberate conscious thought it was more of a stepping stone. It was the eighties, my wife and I had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. "Be as detailed as you can," we were told.

I was thrilled. If there is one thing I enjoy it's making people believe me and I like to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an outright lie mine you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn't be sure if it were true or not. When I write, I always write with the effort of "it could happen quirkiness" very much in mind and nothing, I guarantee you, nothing makes me happier.

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Buy Links:
Amazon    |    Tirgearr Publishing

NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99.