A legendary Demon Trapper, Riley Blackthorne frequently battles with Hell’s minions. So when she travels to Scotland to meet up with her hunky boyfriend, and celebrate her eighteenth birthday, she’s thrilled at the chance to leave Atlanta and its troubles behind.
Denver Beck, who has been studying for months to become a Grand Master – a rare and highly dangerous job -- is just as eager to see his girl. He’s anticipating a romantic reunion, keen to take their relationship to the next level.
But Riley’s twisted history with Hell has garnered unwelcome interest by people willing to use her for their own purposes. Trouble is brewing in the land of the heather, the kind that will drive a wedge between her and Beck, and prove the ultimate test of their love . . . and their survival skills.
My Thoughts :
I thought the Demon Trapper series was done. Over. Finito! Then I came across a new release in the series. The fifth book. While putting this on my wishlist I came across this novella that fits bettern books four and five and quickly got a copy so I could read things in order and hopefully get a nice reminder of the situation and series. It has been a while...
This was a nice short story. A nice trip to Edinburgh (a lovely city) was just what I needed and would have jumped on a plane and gone back there myself even after reading about the Demon Trapper happenings in this book. I found myself remembering a lot of the series and characters and being reminded of certain events. The author mentioned, when needed, points in the series that I have since forgotten. It was a nice story and I also remember how much I loved this series.
Telling you more about the story will give away a lot. This is a little longer than the usual novella but it was still a quick read. It was worth reading and a definite must read for anyone, who like me, hasn't gotten hold of that new fifth installment. Things happen that you will need to know before carrying on the series.
Riley’s always known that Beck had a chequered history, but she’s not prepared for what it actually means to be in love with a guy with this many dark secrets. Now that he’s finally admitted to himself that he’s in love with her too, there’s no more hiding the truth about his past. And as it turns out, fending off a demon apocalypse is nothing compared to what’s to come...
My Review :
Foretold is the 4th and last book in the The Demon Trappers series. I was a little surprised to see this one was ending with only four books. However I have to say I am not upset. So many series drag out too long so it is a pleasant change to have an author who knows how and when things are going to be over.
Actually Foretold felt like it was two books. The first half dealt with something I have been wondering about since the start, Beck's past. This was an eye opener and a great story. It cleared up all those questions and helped Beck's relationship with Riley. It was also a nice interlude before the final fight.
The second half of the book took things back to the main story the series has been following since the beginning. As expected, because this is the final book, everything gets an ending and everything comes together. It was great reading and just as good, if not better, than the previous three books.
Now I am eager to see what the author will present us with next. The Demon Trappers series was unique and very special but for me this didn't seem like the end. Foretold may have ended Riley's story or at least put her in a better position that when things started, but it there was no definite 'things are over and they live happily ever after' ending. Maybe a spin-off will come along? Showing us how Riley and Beck get on? Maybe even a little further into the future?
Whatever the author comes up with next I will be giving it a try. The Demon Trapper series really grabbed me and I am sorry to see it go. This is a series I will definitely be reading again when I have time and now anyone who hasn't tried the books yet can savour them all in one go.
Highly recommended! This has a YA label but this is much more grown up than you would think.
She was also giving away two great prizes! One winner will get a copy latest book, Forgiven. Another winner will get a set of all three books in the Demon Trapper Series!
The contest is now closed and it is time to announce the winners!
You have won a set of all three books in the Demon Trapper Series!!!
Didn't win? Keep reading to find out how to claim your prize and for more contest results!!!
Make sure you check out Jana's books asap! Use the Amazon links around the site and help keep the contests coming! Or use the Bookdepository link below for 10% off!
Her debut Young Adult Paranormal, White Witch, is the first in the Coven Trilogy and was a super read! One person has won a copy!
Congrats to :
Koddabear!!!
Keep reading to find out how to claim your prize? Didn't win this time? There is still the Monthly Giveaway!
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How to claim your prize!
Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address. If you won a contest where you can choose your prize, then please make sure you state in your email which book you would like. This will help things go alot quicker! If you won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter. However please don't send me more than one email unless you really don't get an answer within 3 days. I am not online 24/7 ;) Sometimes it takes a little longer to reply.
If a prize isn't claimed after 7 days I will, if the author agrees, pick another winner.
Please also note that I can not be held responsible for prizes that come direct from authors. I will check with them for you if you haven't received your prize but I can not hunt down your mail! Any prizes that come from myself could come from a 3rd party eg. Amazon or Bookdepository. If I am sending a prize myself please be aware that it could take a few weeks to reach you as it is coming from Europe.
To celebrate Easter I have a second author guest for you guys this week! Jana Oliver writes the amazing Demon Trapper series. The third book, Forgiven, is out now and I couldn't resist contacting her and asking her to be on the blog again.
I can only highly recommend the series. It is a wonderful concept with a brilliant leading girl. Despite being classed as Young Adult, this isn't one of those girly books. Riley is grown-up, mature and not your typical teenager.
Enjoy the interview and get to know the author and series. Also make sure you enter the contest! Jana is giving away some books and you know you want them ;)
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Amber - Welcome back to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here again as a guest! Could you start things off by telling us a little about your third book in the Demon Trappers series, Forgiven?
Jana - Thank you for having me back!
Over the past two books I’ve been building up the tensions between Heaven and Hell and ensuring that the Demon Trappers are right in the middle of that coming conflict. FORGIVEN is when it all hits the fan. The Vatican’s Demon Hunters have come to Atlanta to sort out the rampaging demons and Riley is on the run because of a little something she did in SOUL THIEF. It’s during this book that almost all of that is resolved in some way or another.
Amber - Was it hard coming up with the storyline for the third book or was it already planned out from the beginning?
Jana - I don’t plan my books out that far ahead. I knew certain events that would happen during the course of the story, but most certainly not all of them. In fact, there were a number of surprises as I penned the book. My characters love to do that to me.
Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the series?
Jana - I really GOOD OMENS by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. It’s the story of an angel and a demon who join forces to prevent the end of the world. I had always wanted to get into the gray area of Heaven vs. Hell and in 2008 I found myself thinking about a story that had that theme, but told from the perspective of a teen.
Amber - How long on average does it take you to write a book? Do you have a process you follow? or do you just start at page one and see what happens?
Jana - It usually takes me about seven months or so to write a book. I have a rough beginning and end worked out in my head, then I start writing. I write a very rough (terrible) draft, then go back and begin to layer on all the missing bits. It usually takes me four more passes through the manuscript before I have it the way I want.
Amber - Will there be more books in the series? How long would you like to see things continue for The Demon Trappers?
Jana - Every series has a natural end point, so there will be a total of four books in the series. Most likely the fourth book will be in Fall 2012 so that’s really soon.
Amber - Are you working on any other projects?
Jana - I’m currently pondering/fiddling with a couple new ideas. One is a YA historical series set in Late Victorian London. The other is a standalone novel set in the South. Neither have been written. I’m still in the “gee, this is bright and shiny” stage. Should my publisher show interest in these new babies, they’ll eventually be in a bookstore.
Amber - Why Young Adult and why the paranormal? Will you stick with these two combinations or are you eager to try something different? and what?
Jana - I seem to always weave some form of the paranormal into my series. At present I’m having a lot of fun writing young adult stories so I believe I’d like to stay there for the time. I have a paranormal romance I wrote a few years back (not YA) that I’d like to see published down the line.
Amber - If the series was going to be made into a TV series or Film, who would you like to see playing the main characters?
Jana - Oh gads, this is hard for me because I see my characters differently than others do. Garrett Hedlund would be a mighty fine Beck and Daveigh Chase would do very well for Riley. Folks have suggested Ian Somerhalder or Jackson Rathbone for Ori.
Amber - How do you pick the names for your characters? Do they have any special meanings?
Jana - The names do have meanings. Paul Blackthorne is an homage to the actor who played Harry Dresden in the Dresden Files (Jim Butcher is the author of the series). Riley Anora means “Valiant Light”. Denver Beck has no middle name because his mom didn’t bother to pick one out for him. His first name came from a travel magazine at the hospital. Just those two facts are a clue to his unstable childhood.
Amber - And how about the titles for your books? Do you always go with the first title or is it hard to come up with the right one?
Jana - Titles are tricky. I come up with something, then my editor and the marketing department weigh in on it. Lather, rinse, repeat. Finally we get a title we can all live with. Sometimes that happens quickly, other times not do much.
Amber - What kind of research have you done for your books? Anything interesting or is the research boring?
Jana - I am a research junkie. In the case of the Demon Trappers, I investigated how Hell is viewed by different cultures and how an unnamed angel who was originally God’s minion somehow became the Prince of Hell. I also researched spell casting and some of the history of Atlanta. For the final book in the series (yet untitled in the US) I took a private tour of Okefenokee Swamp. Yeah, I’m really into the researching bit.
Amber - Are you a full time writer or do you have a day job? If yes, How do you divide your time?
Jana - My job is my writing. Mostly I spend the first couple of hours of the day answering emails and doing that social media thing. Then I dig into the writing. Some days are longer than others, depending how soon a manuscript is due.
Amber - Who has been your biggest inspiration in life?
Jana - I don’t have really have just one person. There are SO many people/events that have been inspirations. Those range from Loreena McKennitt and her haunting music to authors like Jim Butcher, Ilona Andrews (and so many others).
The person who has been the most supportive (and I’m blessed awesome friends who are always there for me) would be my husband, Harold. He’s always said I could do anything I put my mind to. If I didn’t have that kind of “you go, girl!” support at home, this career would be a ton harder.
Amber - What are you listening and watching lately? Is there any music or other media that influences your writing?
Jana - I’ve been listening to quite a few bands/performers recently. Those include:
The Band Perry
Two Steps From Hell
Daughtry
To hear FORBIDDEN’s playlist, it’s available on Spotify now.
Demon Trappers Bk #3
Amber - Read anything good lately? What authors/series are your favourites?
Jana – I haven’t done much reading at all as of late since the fourth’s book was due the end of March. Now that’s turned in, I can start reading other peoples’ book again.
My favs include two of the authors I mentioned above: Jim Butcher (Harry Dresden Series) and Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels Series). I’m also fond of Andrew Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes Series and Maggie Stiefvater’s Scorpio Races.
Amber - What's your favorite paranormal movie of all time?
Jana - Depending on how you define paranormal, Lord of the Rings is my fav. It’s got all the good stuff: hunky heroines, kick butt heroines, small furry people and evil bad guys. And talking trees. How cool is that? Behind all that is the quintessential battle of good vs. evil and how ordinary folks (or in this case, hobbits) can make a difference. How courage is found in the most unlikely places. That’s why I really love those movies.
Amber - Thank you for visiting Amberkatze's! I hope you will come by again sometime!
Jana is giving away two prizes! One lucky winner will get a copy latest book,Forgiven. Another winner will get a set of all three books in the Demon Trapper Series!
How To Enter
Let's keep things simple...who is your favourite demon?
No Answer = No Entry
'Please enter me' posts will NOT be counted as an entry
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You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.
Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.
Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site.
The contest will stay open until 4pm on Monday 16th April (Central European Time) and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.
The days are growing darker for 17-year-old demon trapper Riley Blackthorne. With her father’s reanimated body back safely, Beck barely speaking to her because of a certain hunky Fallen angel, and a freshly-made deal with Lucifer, she has enough on her hands to last a normal teenage lifetime. Though she bargained with Heaven to save his life, her ex-boyfriend Simon has told the Vatican’s Demon Hunters that she’s working with Hell. So now she’s in hiding, at the top of everyone’s most-wanted list.
But it’s becoming clear that this is bigger than Riley, and rapidly getting out of control: something sinister is happening in Atlanta… or someone. The demons are working together for the first time ever and refusing to die, putting civilians in harm’s way. Riley thinks she might know who’s behind it all, but who’s going to believe her? Caught between her bargain with Heaven and her promise to Lucifer, Riley fears the final war is coming – and it may be closer than anyone thinks…
My Review :
Book three in the Demon Trappers series is one of the books I HAD to read this year. So as soon as the email arrived from Amazon to say my copy had been sent to my Kindle there wasn't much stopping me from getting stuck right in. Well actually...there was work and stuff. Darn it! Anyway I snatched and read at every possible moment and couldn't stop thinking about the unfinished amazing story sitting in my bag while I should have been concentrating on other things. Yes this series is THAT good!
There are so many things to love about the Demon Trappers series and the main reason has to be Riley herself. So independent, very mature for her age and extremely strong both physically and emotionally, she is an amazing character that you can only grow to admire. She makes mistakes and she knows it. She fights to keep those close to her alive and safe while trying to stop the demons. She isn't full of magical powers or have any special secret weapons. She is just a Demon Trapper.
What else is there to enjoy? The concept. This series really is unique and unusual. I am in absolute awe of the author and her creativity. She has managed to think up something extremely exciting and interesting. Lots of depth, just enough darkness and of course some very special demons. The writing style is first class and the plot flows along nicely.
This newest instalment continues on from where we left Riley in the second book, Soul Thief. I won't give away any of the story because it would ruin things for you all but I have to say it is pretty cool. There are more angels and demons involved and things heat up a little between Beck and Riley. Also the Holy Water mystery gets solved plus much much more. Some lovely twists and turns this time around and I can't wait to see what happens next.
Highly recommended reading! Don't let the 'Young Adult' classification put you off. This is total Paranormal Urban Fantasy and not some kids bedtime story.
