Welcome to this week’s Two for Thursday Book Blitz #T4T presented by Month9books/Tantrum Books!

 

Today, we will be showcasing two titles that may tickle your fancy, and we’ll share what readers have to say about these titles!

You just might find your next read!

 

This week, #T4T presents to you:

The Red Magic series by Jen McConnel!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

 

Witches must choose the path they will follow, and DarlenaAgara is no exception. She’s been putting it off long enough, and in her case, ignoring it has not made it go away. In a moment of frustration, Darlena chooses to follow Red Magic, figuring she had outsmarted the powers that be, since there’s no such thing as Red Magic. But alas, Darlena’s wrong (again) and she becomes a newly declared Red Witch.

 

Her friends are shocked and her parents horrified by the choice Darlena has made. As a Red Witch, she now governs one third of the world’s chaos. She is the walking personification of pandemonium, turmoil, and bedlam, just as the patrons of Red Magic would have it to be.

 

But Darlena believes there must be more to Red Magic than chaos and destruction, and she sets out on a journey to achieve balance. Only doing so puts her at odds with the dark goddess Hecate, who simply will not allow Darlena to quit. She encourages Darlena to embrace who and what she is and to leave good magic to the good witches. If only Darlena could, life would be simple, and she would not be the Daughter of Chaos.

 

DAUGHTER OF CHAOS is the first in a YA paranormal trilogy.

 

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Google Play | BAM | Chapters | IndieBound | Kobo | TBD

 

WHAT READER’S ARE SAYING:

 

“At the beginning, this novel is reminiscent of other popular fantasy novels like the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling and the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, but it quickly takes on a life of its own that will appeal to science fiction, fantasy, and young adult fans alike. Darlena’s struggles mirror issues that many teens face, making her a relate-able and likable main character. This is a title with wide appeal that will fly off the shelves.” – Voya Magazine

 

“Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnel is a refreshing twist to the YA paranormal genre!” – Dianne, Tome Tender

 

“Witches and Greek gods! This seriously couldn't get any better.” – Kelly Hashway,Author

 

The gods of chaos cannot be trusted.

 

Since battling her best friend, Darlena’s grip on Red Magic has been shaky. She heads to Scotland after the Winter Solstice in search of another Red Witch.

On a sightseeing excursion with girls from her hostel, Darlena arrives at The Vaults, a mysterious underground city beneath Edinburgh. But there is something there that make Darlena’s instincts go haywire, as she lets loose a defensive burst of Red Magic, putting everyone around her in danger.

 

If there was ever a time when Darlena needed the help of another Red witch, it was now. But beware the witch who wields Red Magic.

 

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Google Play | BAM | Chapters | IndieBound | Kobo | TBD

 

WHAT READER’S ARE SAYING:

 

“I think I'm in love. This book had a totally different ending than what i thought it was. I was honestly surprised.” – Goodreads Reviewer

 

“'Gods of Chaos' is the phenomenal second installment in a young adult paranormal series.” – Stephanie, A Dream Within A Dream

 

“There are many twists and turns in this book. The ending was totally unexpected and completely epic.” – Intellectual Vixens

 

 

Jen McConnel now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn't crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 

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I loved it! Story continues from book one. Darlena is looking for another Red Witch. She thinks that together they might be able to defeat Hecate for once and for all. But things don't go as well as she had hoped. She did find the other Red but he is not too willing to help her in any way. Now she must think of something else to convince Marcus or maybe even use magic to get his help.
There are many twists and turns in this book. The ending was totally unexpected and completely epic. Now I have only one question: When can we read the next book? I can't wait... :D

• Darlena can’t seem to stay out of trouble
• Scotland!!!!! (I love this setting)
• We get to see even more mythology, include Norse gods
• We learn more about Red Magic
• Hecate shows how awful she can be
• New friendships
• Cute boys
• Adventures that traverse many places
• Emotions come out
• Surprises about what is actually going on

Disclaimer: This review is in no way meant to be a attack and/or judgment of anyone who lives the D/S lifestyle. Anything I say is aimed at the characters, and they relationship dynamic they have in this story. I started this book not knowing it was D/S, and I kept reading even knowing it wasn't my cup of tea thinking maybe I would give it a couple of stars, and move on about my day. I was concerned by Hector's jealousy, the awful things he accused Sam of doing, the age gap, Hector's unceasing demands for perfection on Sam's part, Sam's history of abuse and his unwillingness to advocate for his needs, and Hector's unwillingness to listen to and to trust Sam. I wasn't loving it, but I wasn't hating it either until the end, and then the rage set in.Rant begins So, just when we got to the point where I thought things were going to improve things jumped the shark instead. They stage a sort of intervention for Hector and his abuse, and Sam is poised to jump out the window. Hector seems ready to give Sam the time and space he needs to heal, and for Hector to learn to deal with his jealousy in healthy ways, and then all of a sudden Sam forgives him. I mean literally one minute he is breaking down, and the next "words had so much power. Words spoken in love had a magic of their own. Love was worth living for right?" Then he blows off his friend's concerns, and the words of his counselor, and he has Hector brand his ass, and they have some truly kinky sex. This made me so mad I had to resist the urge to throw my kindle. Marcus, his friend, is treated as jealous, interfering, and close minded. Marcus who helped Sam through Sam's last abusive relationship, and then saw Sam freaking out because your other friend passed out on Sam's (sorry Hector's after all Hector has to take over all of Sam's life because he loves him) bed. I can't imagine why someone who cared about Sam would worry over seeing him end up with someone so jealous, controlling, possessive, and violent. I mean controlling to the point Hector told Sam to quit his job, and close all his bank accounts. Brett didn't even know Sam offered never to see Brett again just to keep Hector happy. Domestic violence is not simply a concern between men and women, and to see to a story like this trivialize it, or have it cured by the healing power of the magic penis makes me see red. I knew a guy who was in an abusive same sex relationship, and to see how little respect, or understanding he received from his employer was terrible. They never would have treated a woman abused by her husband that way. This story reduces Hector's treatment of Sam to a simple argument, one they quickly get over with no actual work on the part of either of them just a few empty promises from Hector, and some sweet words.I'm going to walk away now.End rant (sort of)So, in summary, a book that I thought would be okay, not bad, but not great either, turned into something that made me very, VERYangry. This might come off a bit strong, but I have strong feelings when it comes to abuse, and hate this recent trend I've seen across many different genres that seems to minimalize abuse, or treat what has come to be known as warning signs of abuse as romantic.

..."sex god"...?(^clarification, from cover)I'm very pissed off because I was working on my review and then GR erased it. It was good, too, and I won't be able to reproduce it because I've already done my cathartic purge and now the feelings won't come back =_=Below is a pathetic attempt to recreate some of the things I said before when I was purging...It annoys me because it's rather bare-bones, but it's the best I can come up with.(Actually, I think I got most of what I originally said. Things came back to me as I started reconstructing.)Pet peeve, but "I'm not—."That period after the dash is tacky and unnecessary. Anyways.It's a highly intriguing book. I mean, I kind of wondered throughout about Sam/the book in general.I don't actually have that genuine reaction a lot with books. (Sometimes I'll pretend, but this one I genuinely can't decide.)I like this because it's paranormal but it's also applicable to/transmutable into the real life.Actually, I went though the entire thing feeling like Sam was actually schizophrenic.It would serve to explain the Marcus thing at the soccer game. The guard ignored Marcus and only bothered to chastise Sam for spitting? (flashes back to the first part of A Beautiful MindThis book is a study in victimization/learned helpessness. The mental teahouse thing bothered me right from the beginning.It reminded me of a story my AP Psych teacher told us about a friend of hers who had been the victim of rape. She seemed perfectly fine afterwards (no apparent immediate mental repercussions; married, had kids and everything) but had a delayed breakdown a few years later. She told us that her friend later realized that when she was being intimate with her husband, she was actually mentally walking through her old college campus - that mentally distancing thing that Sam did even before Hector started "abusing" him.I don't like the ending/resolution. To me, it just felt like Sam was buying into the whole "I promise I won't hurt you again" spiel.Either that or it was the author attempting to eroticize abuse -- "it's okay as long as he tells me he loves me afterwards, right? If he promises to change, to never do that again?" "Trust is only given freely once. After that it must be earned."Basically, I don't trust any of the characters in this book/series anymore. Sam because I get the feeling he's schizophrenic and thus an unreliable narrator (duh); Hector because despite the fact that some of his reactions make sense in a human way, he still comes off as an asshole; Joey & Brett because they're the poor little Clueless Mortals of the bunch; pm everyone else by association (at least their "God" sides) because they could all just be a product of Sam's schizophrenia.Talk about mother of all unreliable narrators. At least with Poe, you knew for sure they were mentally unstable...On a side, note, oh. It's Torquere. No wonder it's so weird...3 stars because it made me feel something, even if it was mostly horror.The Quote that Basically Sums Up the Book:"You call it power exchange. Use your power.""I don't have any power.""Then what the hell are you exchanging?"