Crowned (Beholder #4)
by Christina Bauer
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: November 28th 2017
Monster House Books
Summary from Godoreads:
At last, Elea has found the love of her life. Unfortunately, the evil Tsar Viktor is about to unleash an army of twisted mages bent on killing everyone Elea cares about… including the man who’s stolen her heart. That’s challenge enough, but on the eve of battle, Elea realizes that her true enemies may be far more powerful than even Viktor: The deities Oni and Yuri could be out to destroy her as well. With major battles brewing on two fronts, Elea’s not sure that she’ll win, but with true love to inspire her, she’s certainly ready to fight.
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: November 28th 2017
Monster House Books
Summary from Godoreads:
At last, Elea has found the love of her life. Unfortunately, the evil Tsar Viktor is about to unleash an army of twisted mages bent on killing everyone Elea cares about… including the man who’s stolen her heart. That’s challenge enough, but on the eve of battle, Elea realizes that her true enemies may be far more powerful than even Viktor: The deities Oni and Yuri could be out to destroy her as well. With major battles brewing on two fronts, Elea’s not sure that she’ll win, but with true love to inspire her, she’s certainly ready to fight.
Excerpt:
Beholder
CROWNED
Chapter One
That
said, I was never one to follow the rules.
All of
which was why I now stood in a hilltop ringed with skulls, staring out over a
deserted landscape. A shiver of foreboding rolled across my shoulders. This
place gave new meaning to the word bleak. Ashen soil stretched off in
every direction. Charcoal-colored clouds wheeled overhead. A freestanding
archway made from chipped stone loomed nearby. The thing looked like a ruin,
but it was actually a magickal gateway called the Skullock Passage. Soon, this
archway would also serve as my supernatural keyhole for spying on the gods.
Quite possibly, I’d be killed in the process.
Considering
my situation, it was a risk worth taking.
I
glanced up at the darkening sky.
Almost
time to begin.
Any
minute now, a slash of blood-red light would appear by the horizon, marking the
arrival of the Martyr’s Comet, a heavenly body that showed itself once
every two thousand years. Unfortunately, the Martyr’s Comet had all sorts of
dark legends surrounding it, such as the prophecy that whoever was the
strongest Necromancer alive when the comet appeared, then that same Necromancer
had to die when the comet vanished.
This
particular legend had changed my life from bad to worse.
First,
the bad part. About two months ago, my one-time Mother Superior, Petra,
informed me of the Martyr’s Comet prophecy, including the bit about the
strongest Necromancer dying. That was certainly bad news; some poor mage was
supposedly doomed.
Second,
the worse part. Then Petra shared that I was the strongest Necromancer
alive and she planned to end my life when the comet vanished. In other words,
about three days from now. As I said, worse.
Of
course, I’d no intention of dying any time soon. I just needed more information
so I could foil Petra’s schemes—hence my spying expedition.
A
flicker of light appeared at the horizon. My gaze locked on the spot. Was that
the Martyr’s Comet?
I
squinted into the darkening sky. The brightness clearly shone white, not red.
Only a
shooting star, then.
A
weight of disappointment settled on my shoulders. In some ways, I was looking
forward to the comet’s arrival. With it, there came additional powers over
gateways, especially for mages like me. Tapping into those extra abilities, I’d
turn the Skullock Passage into my personal spy-hole.
Take
that, Petra.
A small
cloud of dust began spinning on the ground nearby. The particles whirled in
curlicue shapes that were too perfect to be natural. Magick. My heart
lightened. Perhaps my mate Rowan was arriving. I had expected him to magickally
transport here any second.
Sadly
enough, blue lights sparkled deep within the haze. A weight of dread
settled into my bones. Someone was casting a transport spell, only it wasn’t
Rowan. My mate was a Creation Caster, so his power came from life and his
magick glowed red. This brightness shone blue, which meant the visiting mage
was a Necromancer like me.
Damn.
Most
likely, Petra was sending yet another messenger my way, asking me to fulfill
the Prophecy of the Martyr’s Comet and die willingly on the comet’s last day.
Meeting these messengers was never pleasant, but it wasn’t particularly
dangerous, either. Petra wouldn’t try to kill me until the Martyr’s Comet was
just about to disappear.
Small
comfort, really.
Within
seconds, a wisp of a girl materialized beside me. She looked about sixteen
years old with large brown eyes, pale skin, and raven-dark hair. The image of
her skull had been magickally marked onto her face in dark tones. Her clothes
were long black robes decorated with a few ties, which was the formal dress for
a Sister, the lowest level of initiated Necromancer.
The
girl spied me, gasped, and fell to her knees. A small puff of dried earth flew
up where she landed. “Greetings, my Tsarina.”
I
pinched the bridge of my nose. All Petra’s messengers fell on their knees when
they first laid eyes on me. It was rather unsettling. I wasn’t this girl’s
Tsarina, and even if I were, bowing and scraping weren’t my idea of fun.
About the Author
Christina
Bauer knows how to tell stories about kick-ass women. In her best selling
Angelbound series, the heroine is a part-demon girl who loves to fight in
Purgatory’s Arena and falls in love with a part-angel prince. This young adult
best seller has driven more than 500,000 ebook downloads and 9,000 reviews on
Goodreads and retailers. It is now available as an audiobook on Audible and iTunes.
Bauer has
also told the story of the Women’s March on Washington by leading PR efforts
for the Massachusetts Chapter. Her pre-event press release—the only one sent
out on a major wire service—resulted in more than 19,000 global impressions and
redistribution by over 350 different media entities including the Associated
Press.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates
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