Umm...I'm still trying to figure out this whole Blogger thing and thought I had this scheduled to go live on Monday, but apparently not. Oops. Anyway, here's my review and feature of Evernight Teen's latest release, Black Amaranth by Sasha Hibbs.
Today's feature is Evernight Teen's latest release, Black Amaranth by Sasha Hibbs, which was only released last Friday! Needless to say, I had to do some fast reading to get it done, but it was worth it!
The excerpt below had me intrigued, and right away, Sasha's writing sucked me into the story and wouldn't let go. It's easy to identify with Ally as she struggles to figure out who she is, and contemplates the impact of her decisions (which are VERY far reaching) on the people she cares about, and really, the entire world.
I think the thing that astounds me most about this book, is the intricate mythology that Sasha has created. She's pulled from a variety of traditions to make a whole new world and that is not easy to do. It could get a bit hard to follow at times, but I think that mostly had to do with the fact that I was up all night reading and therefore very tired! I just didn't want to put it down.
The climax of the book was extremely powerful, though I can't say much about it or I'll spoil it. Let's just say that there are a lot of twists and surprises. And I can't wait for book 2!
Blurb
Eighteen-year-old Ally Watson arrives home from high
school graduation, more than a little annoyed that her Uncle Argyle—Ally’s
legal guardian and only surviving relative—didn’t even bother showing up. But instead of berating him for his
forgetfulness, Ally finds him in a life-or-death battle with a monster. Argyle
manages to kill the creature, and gives Ally a parcel containing a destiny she
never knew existed.
Ally, along with her best friends Michael, Jessica,
and David, hurry to Georgia to uncover the truth of Uncle Argyle’s secrets, and
the meaning of the mysterious marks that Ally bears. Are the marks related to
the blacksmith mythology of her ancestors? Who are these heavenly warriors who
show up in the oddest of places? And will an ancient gypsy curse destroy the
very things Ally fights to save?
Black Amaranth: a simple flower, a symbol with an
ancient legacy, a conduit for prophecy…while faith and hope are essential to
the journey, Ally soon discovers that love is the most powerful force of all.
Where To Buy
About Sasha Hibbs
By age 5, Sasha Hibbs' favorite movie was Gone With the Wind. By age 12, she completed her 7th grade book report on the sequel, Scarlett. By 18, she met and married her very own Mr. Rhett Butler and as it turns out, she never had to worry about going back to Tara to win the love of her life back. Fortunately, he stuck with her.
With a love of all things paranormal, the ambiance of the South with its gigantic antebellum mansions and canopies of Spanish moss, and a love for her husband’s rich storytelling of blacksmiths and the mythology surrounding their origins, it wasn’t long until the world of her debut novel, Black Amaranth, was born.
When not working her day job as a nurse, you can find Sasha dreaming of her next beach trip, reading the latest YA novel, and drinking more white chocolate mocha than she should.
Sasha lives in mountainous West Virginia with her husband, Tim, and their two daughters, Aeliza and Ava. She is currently hard at work on book two in The Vulcan Legacies series.
Excerpt
“LOU’S HOUSE OF
BLUES?” Dave read the large neon sign in disbelief. “You’re taking us to a…bar?”
“To the Gypsies,
and the one I am seeking out in particular,” Parthenia looked straight ahead,
“happens to spend most of her time in this bar.”
“Mom thinks
we’re going to church camp.” Dave’s face spread into a big smile. “I wonder
what she would say if she knew we were going to a bar.”
“We’re
eighteen,” Jessica said, reminding him. “Just once, Dave, please be cool.”
Jessica winced.
“Cheer up,
Jessica.” Brandi patted her mockingly. “There’s a first time for everything.”
“Whatever. I’m
sure this beats your lame keg party,” Jessica said.
Nothing
surprised Ally anymore, not even the rough-cut lumber bar staring back at her. Motorcycles
and beat up trucks lined the gravel parking lot. A wraparound porch with live
oaks bordered the outside. Looking determined, Parthenia motioned for them to
follow her up there. As Ally ascended onto the creaky porch, her eye caught a
slumbering black dog. She sidestepped to miss treading on the dog.
Instinctively, Ally bent down and brushed her hand along the thick black coat.
“Good Lord,
Miss,” a voice said. Ally looked up into an old pair of friendly brown eyes.
“You must be somebody special,” he said, swaying back and forth in a
dilapidated rocking chair, the ripened wood groaning with each sway, paint
chipping up the back spindles. “Miss Elma doesn’t like anybody,” he said. His
deep Southern accent drew out each syllable slowly.
“Sorry,” Ally
apologized.
“No need to be
sorry, Miss.” Ally could see a warm smile through the grey stubble wrapped
around his aged features. “That there dog showed up one day and she’s been
laying here ever since like she’s been waiting on someone.” He turned his head
out to the horizon, pulling out a battered harmonica and bringing it up to his
lips, he paused and said, “You have a good day, Miss.”
Ally looked down
at the dog. Lids slowly peeled back revealing deep-set hazel eyes. The dog
stretched out her tired limbs, stood to her full height, and nudged Ally’s
knees, placing her head under one of Ally’s open palms. Her long silky hair
fell between Ally’s fingers.
“Looks like
you’ve got a friend—a very large black German Shepherd friend,” Michael said,
his eyes smiling.
“Ally,”
Parthenia interrupted, “please tell her to sit. I’ve got a feeling this one’s
going to follow you.” Parthenia met Brandi’s gaze, their intense eyes implying
something they weren’t saying. “Eli, perhaps it would be best if Solomon and
Jeb waited out here with Lucy.”
Eli turned,
instructing them to wait and watch over his little sister.
“There are three
Ravenscraft women: Denaulda, Griselda, and Irini.” Parthenia looked deeply into
Ally’s eyes and then shot a look of caution to Michael and the twins. “Denaulda
is the eldest sister, and by right, the acting leader of the Gypsies. She is
the most powerful next to their holy woman, Belle Crow. Let me caution you now.
Do not cross them. They prove to be useful and good allies, but can also prove to
be fearful enemies if you’re not on the same side as them. Remember, the curse
of the elder Gypsies coupled with Vulcan crossing them is what caused all of
this to ensue in the first place. Their magic runs deep, it’s old, and just as
the blaxxmiths have a particular affinity for a single element, Gypsies have a
strong affinity for magic.”
“Ooo, this
should be fun,” Brandi purred mischievously.
“Try to curb
your enthusiasm, will you?” Parthenia glared back at Brandi.
“I’ll not say a
word.” Brandi winked and said, “Promise.”
“Are they
witches?” Jessica asked, a noticeable trace of anxiety in her voice.
“They’re worse
than witches,” Eli barked out.
“What is your
problem? Considering how you treated me last night, I doubt that your dislike
is exclusive to Gypsies. I’m guessing that you hate everyone and everything.”
Jessica’s face flushed with anger. Eli fumed, but said nothing.
“No, they are
not witches,” Parthenia said, interrupting the awkward silence. “They are
Gypsies, and if you want to get on their bad side quick, call one of them a
witch.” She turned and looked down her nose at Dave.
“Gotcha,” Dave
said, seeming to understand she worried most about what might come out of his
mouth.
“Stay behind me
and try not to stare at anyone,” Parthenia said.
“Stay, girl.”
Ally pointed her finger down at the porch. Miss Elma was obedient, sliding her
long muscled legs down, crossing them over top each other and resting her head
on her large paws. “Good girl.”
Ally stepped in
behind of Parthenia, leaving the rest to trail in after her. Ally looked around
in awe. She had never been in a bar before, and wasn’t too disappointed by the
one she was standing in now. Red booths lined the unevenly cut board and batten
walls, and a few were occupied by men and women who stared directly at them.
Round tables just big enough for two were scattered throughout, leading up to a
large empty dance floor. Strings of colored bulbs hung down low from the walls,
casting dim shadows that mixed in with smoky air. Bar stools surrounded the
long slab bar, while behind it a large, intimidating man eyed them up as he
casually wiped his hands off on a white towel.
“Hello, Lou,”
Parthenia said. “Denaulda around?”
He jerked his
head in the direction of the stage, Parthenia following the line of his gaze,
sighed softly and said, “Great.”
“Remember me
just saying that Gypsies were gifted with a particular talent? Strong magic?”
Parthenia whispered close to Ally’s ear.
“Uh-huh,” Ally
said, looking straight ahead to the empty stage.
“Well, you’re
about to find out what Denaulda’s is,” Parthenia said, sitting on a barstool
and turning to face the stage. “Might as well have a seat and try to stay
there.”
Michael and Dave
eased down into an empty booth, leaving the opposite side open for the girls.
Eli and Brandi opted to sit with Parthenia on barstools.
At the corner of
the wooden stage, men were pulling out and tuning guitars and harmonicas. As a
slow sultry rhythm played out of their instruments, a petite, dark-haired woman
emerged from behind beaded curtains onto the stage. She slinked her way up to
the microphone stand like a snake closing in on its prey. She curled her
slender fingers around the mic as she cocked her head to the side, looking at
her audience with thoughtful, heavy-lidded eyes. Ally’s arms erupted in goose
bumps, a surefire warning that something otherworldly was about to happen.
She began to
sing, sound floating dreamingly out of her mouth, weaving in and around the
crowd like an invisible serpent, creeping up around their heels, sliding up and
into their souls.
Michael and Dave
twisted around, their heads following the direction of the eerie tune as
Jessica mechanically stood up from the bench.
“What are you
doing?” Ally whispered between her teeth while tugging on Jessica’s sleeve.
“Just
one…dance.” Jessica didn’t look down at Ally; she walked slowly onto the dance
floor as though the melody willed her to do so. Problem was, Jessica was a
wallflower, or at least when they went to the prom Ally couldn’t peel her away from
the wall if her life depended on it.
Ally looked
around wondering if Denaulda’s music was having the same effect on everyone
else. Brandi smiled naughtily which told Ally there must have been some part of
her that expected this. Beside her, Eli watched Jessica through burning eyes. A
few patrons joined Jessica on the dance floor, swaying back and forth to the
beat, their bodies sweeping in and out in circular motions.
From the wall, a
steely gaze followed Jessica. A boy with a shock of blond hair materialized
from the shadows and inched his way towards the dance floor. He didn’t look
much older than they did but he carried himself like a prowling marauder. His
arms encircled Jessica’s waist as he closed the distance between them. To
Ally’s surprise, Jessica welcomed him.
Denaulda’s lips
curled up into a wicked smile. The tune hung in the air, like a poisonous gas.
Ally couldn’t ignore the soothing, rich words.
When we were
young and full of life
you reached in
deep, and pierced my heart with a knife.
The night cries
out, sweet and high,
weeping for her
children with a gentle sigh.
Young nights,
young nights, where did you go?
I can smell the
night air, and how the moonlight glowed.
Young nights,
young nights, come back to the home we both know.
“Where’s Lucy?”
Dave kept his eyes fixed on Denaulda. “I think I should…” Dave’s words drifted
off into the chorus.
Jessica reached
her hands up and tangled her fingers into the thick blond hair of the boy she’d
glued herself to. They appeared to only have eyes for each other as though no
one else existed in the room. Ally was ready to get up and separate the two
when another wave of lyrics poured out from Denaulda, nailing Ally to her seat.
I have loved you
tender and loved you long,
but you were
caught in the crossfire, we got it all wrong.
Can we ever go
back to the way it used to be?
Young nights
under the Spanish moss, just you and me.
I can smell the
night air, and how the moonlight glowed.
Young nights,
young nights, come back to the home we both know.
Ally couldn’t
budge. “Michael?” She looked up, knowing he would fix this, but when she met
his eyes, her breath caught in the back of her throat. Heat spread up through
her face as his blue eyes bored into hers. The Michael staring at her now
wasn’t looking at her as friends look at one another, but as something much
different: as a man who looks, really
looks, at a woman. Without Denaulda’s enchanting music, Ally wondered if his
penetrating gaze would have bothered her or not.
Eli crossed the
floor in long strides, catching Ally’s attention. She sat there unable to move,
nervous, knowing that the direction Eli was currently going in wasn’t a good
one. Eli’d had a chip on his shoulder since they all met, but more so towards
Jessica than the rest of them. Ally just didn’t know why, though.
“Enough.” Ally
could barely hear what Eli was saying to Jessica over the music. Denaulda
looked entertained by what was transpiring on the dance floor. Jessica paid no
attention to him, moving in closer to her partner, so close you couldn’t wedge
a piece of paper between them.
Eli’s lips
twisted into a snarl as he grabbed Jessica’s wrist. The next few moments
happened before Ally could fully register what she was seeing. The blond boy
swung at Eli, whose hand cupped the boy’s fist, holding him there effortlessly.
He jerked Jessica to the side, causing her to rock on her heels, attempting to
balance herself. He flung the boy’s fist down in disgust. “You’re done here,”
Eli said to the boy through clenched teeth.
“Oh, no we’re
not,” Jessica said, seething and stepping away from Eli, going back into the
arms of her dance partner.
Eli growled as
he grabbed her arm. Jessica spun around and slapped Eli across the face,
sending an echo throughout the bar.
“Do not ever
touch me again!” Jessica’s face reddened, almost matching the color of her
hair. “Do you understand me?”
Eli stood there
blinking in disbelief, raising a hand up to where hers had just been.
“Okay, boys.”
Denaulda motioned for the band behind her to stop. “I think it’s time for a
break.”
As soon as
Denaulda quit singing, her spell dissolved. All those affected shook their
heads, clearing up the lingering fog, all except Eli. He stood still, tracing
the outline of where Jessica’s fingers touched him.
“Um…” Jessica looked
back and forth between Eli and the blond boy staring at her and said, “Hmm,
this is awkward. Excuse me.” Jessica quickly brushed past them and darted back
to sit down. “What was I doing?”
“Let’s just say
that you gave Brandi a run for her money,” Ally said, sugar-coating the truth
as Jessica slouched down further in the booth.
“Parthenia,” the
words were rich, alluring, “what brings you to my neck of the woods?”
Denaulda’s eyes slid past Parthenia and landed directly on Ally.
Denaulda tilted
her head, studying Ally through suspicious eyes. “I read the stars last night.
Do you know what they told me?” Her eyes, the color of ash, rounded as she
studied Ally.
Ally couldn’t
speak, her voice was jammed. Looking at this sorceress was unnerving. Ally just
shook her head no.
“They told me Death would be coming to
visit me today.”
