To Nurture & Kill

Book Review

Title: To Nurture & Kill

Author: E.M. Markoff

Rating: ★★★★★

Date Published: April 22, 2017

Publisher: Tomes & Coffee Press

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy

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Synopsis:

A promise imprisoned him. Betrayal will set him free. 

Eutau Vidal owed nothing to anyone and lived his life as he wanted. But then his sister died, leaving her newborn son Kira in his care, and everything changed. The Purging sweeps on, spreading misery across the Land of Moenda as the Ascendancy wages its war of extermination against the Deadbringers. Now, torn between a promise to his dying sister and the desire to regain his freedom, Eutau struggles to care for his young nephew even as the babe begins to manifest dark powers of the most dangerous kind. 

To Nurture & Kill is a tale of love and loss, the story of one man’s search for meaning amid the ashes of war. It is a standalone prequel to The Deadbringer, the first book in The Ellderet Series.



My Thoughts:

I was sent an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve always enjoyed reading novellas about a character’s past, it just makes me feel so much more connected to them and usually answers some of the questions that I have about them. I loved reading about Eutau and how he came to be the guardian of Kira! I really enjoyed how I could read about Kira as an infant, toddler and young child. Reading of how Kira struggled for being different really brought me to tears, it just broke me! But at the same time, I loved that Markoff wrote about it because it teaches us that being different is okay and that we are loved by many just the way we are! The character growth of Eutau in this novella was phenomenal! At one point, I did become very angry at him for leaving, but as I kept on reading, I began to understand that it was something that he needed to do so he could understand how much HE needs Kira in his life; maybe even a little more than Kira needs him. Like I said above I really enjoyed this book and it has made me even more excited for the rest of the series, if you have read The Deadbringer I highly recommend you read this novella! It brings the characters into a whole new perspective and baby/toddler Kira is super adorable! And if you have not read The Deadbringer what are you waiting for?!? It is such a good and different book! 

SandraTheBookWorm

The Deadbringer

 Book Review

Title: The Deadbringer

Author: E. M. Markoff

Rating: ★★★★

Date Published: May, 2016

Publisher: Tomes & Coffee Publishing

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Page Count: 298

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Synopsis:

In the aftermath of the Purging, the Deadbringers are no more. The Ascendancy has positioned itself as the land’s dominant power by exploiting the people’s fear of the Deadbringers’ innate abilities to summon souls and reanimate the dead. Yet its hold is not complete, for in the North the Bastion stands in the way of the Ascendancy and its iron-willed elite soldiers, the Sanctifiers.

But, somehow, a single Deadbringer has managed to survive. Kira Vidal, a boy of fifteen, has remained hidden, living peacefully with his uncle in the northern city of Opulancae under the Bastion’s protection. But it seems their luck is at an end when rumors begin to spread, and a strange man shows up at their door, seeking the forbidden services of a Deadbringer.

Aware of the dangers should word of his nature reach the Ascendancy, Kira makes a promise to himself to protect his beloved uncle at all costs, even if it means pursuing the limits of his powers … and learning painful truths.

My Thoughts:

I was sent a copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me hooked from chapter one! I loved the creepy factor and the way our main character Kira can bring the dead back to life. The author did so much character building in this book and I loved it, we get to know Kira and the other characters so well throughout the book; I also really liked that she gave us information on the characters slowly throughout the chapters and didn't just dump a lot of info all at once that we would later forget. Markoff did an amazing job at world building that at times I felt like I was there with the character myself. I really enjoyed that this book was told from multiple POV and I loved every single one of them, but I really became intrigued with one character in particular and that was E'Sinea! Gah, I just couldn't get enough of him. Markoff hit me with some twists at the end that I just did not see coming and that left me begging for more! I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel and see where the author will take us! The only reason I didn't give this novel five stars was because towards the middle it got a little slow, but it quickly picked right up again and Markoff gave me the gory scenes I was looking for. If you have yet to pick this novel, I highly recommend it! It's the perfect read for this month or if you're just in the mood for a dark fantasy. 

-SandraTheBookWorm