Werewolf Descent (Book #2 Last Witch Series)

Werewolf Descent by Elizabeth J. Kolodziej

Last year I won Liz’s first book, Vampyre Kisses, along with a cool t-shirt. This was her first novel as well as her first attempt at self-publishing. Her first book was a little rough around the edges and her writing skills needed more developing, but her characters and story line hooked me quickly. She does a great job of creating a believable chemistry between her characters. Trent and Faith’s love story made me warm and tingly all over.

Blurb:

Last witch in the world, Faith Scott, and her Irish vampire boyfriend Trent have just come back from fighting for their lives to recover the Vampiric Blood gem and Werewolf Moon gem. Thinking they could finally relax and work on the romance growing between them, they now meet a mysterious psychic vampire named Vincent who has his heart set on being with Faith.

Soon bizarre killings of Zou Tai’s werewolf pack begin, with rumors of an alchemist possessing the famed philosophers stone being the assailant; which, causes Faith to turn to Vincent for help in figuring out why the werewolves are being murdered.
It isn’t long before all those around them test Trent and Faith’s love, along with their abilities, once again. It is all Trent can do to keep Faith safe by his side while both go up against a deadly alchemist, deceptive gods, and having to rescue the werewolf prince; yet, after a deal with the God of Werewolves will Trent be able to save himself too?

While Liz’s writing technique is different from how most novels are written, each chapter is told from a different character's POV. It's sometimes hard to get used to the shifts in perspective, but I don’t mind it. I like the complexity of lots of characters and multiple story lines going on at once. Liz has also come up with a unique way of mixing Greek mythology into the vampire/shifter/witch mythos.

Werewolf Descent is the second book in her Last Witch Series, I absolutely love the cover by the way. Liz has learned a lot about self-publishing since her last book. Matter of fact, she does informative posts every Thursdays on her blog for authors wanting to know more about the how-to of self-publishing.

Our protagonists Faith, Trent and their friends are facing a new threat; as an Alchemist with a grudge starts killing werewolves. But there is also a threat from within their circle, from someone who is supposed to help protect them. I don’t want to give away to much information because there are some really surprising plot twists. She also introduces some new characters in Werewolf Descent that I look forward to reading more about in future novels. My favorite is Vincent, a psychic vampire, who is drawn to Faith. Poor Faith, she has an awesome blood vampire boyfriend, a hot werewolf prince and a smexy psychic vampire all trying to get in her pants .

I really enjoy these characters, the overall tone is dark and she made me cry at the end. I can see where she might be going with the third book and I look forward to reading it. I have to admit I am a little biased when it comes to Liz and her books . After her first book we started emailing and I have watched Werewolf Descent go from concept to finished product.

I will give this book two ratings.

3 Sheep for the technical parts of the writing

4 Sheep for the characters and story, she made me cry!

SS (edited by BAK)

Love, Death and Cataclysmic Destruction, Oh, my!

Before the Witches: An Original Novella by Karina Cooper


In America, they didn't care about witches. But all that was about to change. Katya Zhuvova fled a country that feared her gifts, but her escape to Seattle left her at the mercy of a ruthless man. With no one left to turn to, Katya hatches a desperate escape plan. Undercover Detective Nigel Ferris is determined to bring down a prostitution ring, whatever the cost. In order to the get answers he needs, he attempts to win the trust of one of the prostitutes involved—but one look at the deceptively sultry Katya and the cool, objective cop disappears. Before either can put their plans into place, Mother Nature shrugs: a cataclysm rocks Seattle, and life is turned upside down. Brought together by chance, Nigel and Katya are in the fight for their lives. Surrounded by death and fear, shattered by immeasurable loss, they have only a bond forged in fire to cling to as they struggle to survive in a world gone straight to hell.


Review:
This novella is the prequel to Karina’s upcoming Dark Mission Series. It shows the readers, through the eyes of our heroes Katya and Nigel, the massive cataclysmic natural disaster that changes the physical world as well as the religious world. We see the world become dominated by an oppressive theocracy determined to wipe out witchcraft forever, a world we will see in her series.

Katya is an illegal immigrant from Russia shunned by her people for being a witch and has the ability to tell if someone is lying. Recently she's been having premonitions of the end of the world. She ends up working in an illegal brothel in Seattle for a truly repugnant man.

Nigel is an undercover cop trying to bust the prostitution ring. When the two meet there is an instant connection. The only fault I find with this story is how quickly their relationship became physical, considering Katya’s current situation. Katya has been planning an escape for all the girls being held prisoner in the brothel when the first earthquakes hit. Nigel rushes to find Kayta when he realizes the building she lives in is in an area hit hardest by the quake. The rest of the story is an action packed, dark account of their escape from earthquakes, volcanoes and floods. Karina does an excellent job of describing the fear, sorrow and loss they experience trying to find safety.

The novella has an epilogue that nicely ties up Katya and Nigel’s story while setting up a new world where religious fervor has brought back the witch hunts from the past. I am looking forward to reading the first book in this series, Blood of the Wicked.
Check out Katie's review of Blood of the Wicked here.

4 Destructive Sheep!






SS (edited by BAK)