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Massive apologies to Kelly and Meggy and Love Book Tours and author Raine Reiter for missing my tour date.
MY REVIEW
This was quite a fun read, entrenched in Lithuanian folklore and mystery. Author Raina Reiter gave me a story which was well balanced with intense and light scenes.
Elena came back home to Swan House after a broken relationship, to her roots, her grandmother, mother, and baby sister. She had a role to perform, guided by her goddess. All that she had to do was to accept it. With an animal attack and a missing sister, the story took some deep turns way into the woods.
My first book by this author, the cover pulled me in. The hidden mysticism and magic evoked the awe in me. The suspense was built up gradually in the animal attacks where I too was keen to know what the creature was.
Being the first book, I was given a glimpse of the characters and their ways. I was sure the next book would lay bare Elena’s strengths. I liked how the family had deeper bonds to the older world where magic breathed and creatures walked on earth.
A couple of niggles – some of the scenes gave me the feel of a teen being groomed, which felt a bit icky. And the story could have been sharper and with more depth to the relationships.
I felt this was a good beginning, and the next book would probably rock. A fast entertaining read
MY RATING
BOOK LINKS
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BOOK BLURB
When Professor Elena Lukas returns to her cozy Pacific Northwest hometown with a broken heart, she’s plunged back into the fate she tried to escape. Like her mother and grandmother before her, Elena must now dedicate her life to a powerful ancient Lithuanian goddess.
Although she is prepared to live as a priestess hiding in a contemporary tourist town, she arrives to find that a series of so-called animal attacks have terrorized her forest.
With the help of a handsome detective from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Elena uses her expertise in invasive and endangered species to identify that these are no normal animal attacks.
The woods are stalked by a dark, mystical creature bent on ravaging the area in an attempt to quell its insatiable hunger. When her little sister goes missing, Elena realizes that the beast can only be vanquished if she is brave enough to face it in-person, embrace her identity as a high priestess, and expose her powers to the man she is growing feelings for.
BOOK DETAILS
Publication Date: January 2021
I received an ARC from Kelly and the author, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. VOLUNTARY and UNBIASED.
All my reviews can be found here.
3 Responses
Love the cover but not my genre, I don’t YA or read much fantasy, I’m too lazy for all the world-building.
This needed more worldbuilding and character development. Then it would have been perfect for me
Hmm. I’m not into this kind of tale, but it does sound like you almost have to reserve judgement until you read the next one. I’m not sure I would appreciate that as a reader.