Review – Sarana and the Dark King by Ivy Keating @ivy_keating #fantasy

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Sarana and the Dark King

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The opening pages immediately fill me with disgust for the Dark King, sympathy for the Queen and admiration for the nurse.

Sarana is a miracle. She was supposed to have died, but for the grace of one woman who was determined to save her. The Queen never recovered from the loss.

In fantasy books I have read, all too often, royalty is cruel, thoughtless and frightened of losing what they have. Is war inevitable because the muckety muck can’t think of anything else to keep those who would want to overthrow them busy? Gotta be careful. When you force someone into a corner, their fight or flight impulse rises to the forefront.

The Dark King is after tarilium, a rare metal. It’s a treasure hunt and he will do anything to find the pot at the end of the rainbow. Greed and power all too often dictate a ruler’s actions. Who and how many will die?

I have been reading more fantasy and science fiction the past couple of years and am so glad I found Ivy Keating again. I had read her Camouflage novel some time ago and really enjoyed it, so when she asked me to read Sarana and the Dark King, I said sure. I am glad I did. Watching Sarana grow and become the princess she was meant to be was exciting and frightening at the same time. I knew she would make it, after all she is the main character, but what about those around her and the dangers they face as they love and protect her? Well done Ivy.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Sarana and the Dark King by Ivy Keating.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The fearsome Dark King of Bounten, with a magical creature known as a Valomere by his side, is on a quest to find the rare metal tarilium. His brutal ways incite the powerful psychic Allani. But when news of his plans to invade the kingdom of Attaveer spread, a new opponent emerges—Sarana, the daughter of a farmer…or is she?

At birth Sarana was sentenced to death for her “cursed” white hair. The delivery nurse, Meriden, whisked the fair-haired babe to a loving home across the waters from Bounten. Her entire life she hid her appearance to avoid prejudice. Things changed when she discovered she too had a Valomere. She strived to learn the creature’s magic and master fighting skills with the hope of becoming a warrior. Her dreams came true when she was allowed to join the Attaveerian king’s network of spies–a group poised to help defend the kingdom from an invasion by the Dark King and his powerful army.

When word of the white-haired messenger reached the Dark King he vowed to stop at nothing to capture or kill his opponent.

The time for hiding is over.

Can Sarana save herself and her kingdom? Follow Sarana from death to destiny as she joins forces with psychics, Valomeres, and the power of inner strength, to defeat an evil king.

Ivy Keating

ABOUT IVY KEATING

Motivated by nature’s mysteries and the complexity of human behavior, Ivy writes science fiction and fantasy novels exploring the relationship between mankind and the natural world. A master’s degree in social work helps her explore the depths of her characters and the repercussions of their actions. Inspired by the landscape of New England, she wrote Camouflage.
She is currently working on an adult fantasy set in the Medieval period.

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Giveaway – Blah Blah Blah by Dan Hill & Howard Moskowitz @emotionswizard @iReadBookTours

 



Join Us for This Tour from  September 27 to October 15

Book Details:

Book Title:  Blah, Blah, Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo by Dan Hill & Howard Moskowitz
Category:  Adult Non- Fiction 18+, 147 pages
GenreHumor (Business)
Publisher:  Sensory Logic, Inc.
Release Date: September 15, 2021
Tour dates: September 27 to October 15
Content Rating:  PG. OMG and a few references to sexual harassment, etc. Quite mild.

Book Description:

Need a laugh to get through your workday? You’ve come to the right place. Ambrose Bierce’s classic The Devil’s Dictionary took on life in general. Now a century later, it’s time to lampoon the business world. There’s no richer target than being told to think outside the box by leaders spouting off about synergy, teamwork, and innovation while at the same time exhorting you to stay in your swim lane. If as famed business guru Peter Drucker writes, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” then we’ve been asked to eat a dog’s breakfast at work for far too long! A little truth in every joke. Join the fun as the two lead authors and 50 other contributors offer their humorous take on how the workplace really operates. With almost 600 diabolical definitions to enjoy, you’re sure to find plenty to smile about.

 Buy the Book:

Amazon

 

Meet the Authors:

Dan Hill, PhD, is the author of nine books, including Emotionomics, which was an Advertising Age top 10 must-read selection and features a foreword by Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons. In 1998, Dan founded Sensory Logic, Inc. whose clients represent over 50% of the world’s top 100 advertisers. Besides having spoken to audiences in over 25 countries, Dan has had media appearances ranging from ABC’s “Good Morning, America” to NBC’s “The Today Shows,” CNN, Fox, MSNBC, ESPN, and the Tennis Channel. Dan was also a regular guest on PBS’s “Mental Engineering” show, hailed by Bill Moyers as “the most interesting weekly half hour of social commentary and criticism on television.” In print, Dan has received front-page coverage in the New York Times for his work in pro and NCAA Division 1 sports and was a non-partisan columnist for Reuters during the 2016 presidential race. Nowadays he hosts the podcast “Dan Hill’s EQ Spotlight,” which appears on the New Books Network (NBN), the world’s largest book review platform with over 1.7 million downloads monthly. Dan was educated at St. Olaf College, Oxford University, Brown University, and Rutgers University.

Howard Moskowitz is a legendary product market researcher, experiential psychologist, and inventor of world-class market research technologies used by virtually every company that matters. Howard earned his PhD in experimental psychology from Harvard University. In 2004, he was the subject of a New Yorker article by Malcolm Gladwell, “The Ketchup Conundrum,” which became the basis for Gladwell’s TED talk entitled “Choice, Happiness, and Spaghetti Sauce.” In 2014, Howard founded Mind Genomics Associates to investigate how people think about aspects of their daily lives. In addition to over 400 scientific articles about the minds of consumers, Howard has written/edited 28 books, a roster that features the very popular book Selling Blue Elephants.

connect with the authors: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram 

Tour Schedule:

Sep 27 – Working Mommy Journal – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 27 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 27 – Kam’s Place – book spotlight
Sep 28 – Books for Books – book spotlight
Sep 28 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post giveaway
Sep 29 – fundinmental -book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 30 – Splashes of Joy – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 1 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 2 – Celticlady’s Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 4 – A Mama’s Corner of the World – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 5 – The Adventures of a Traveler’s Wife – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 6 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 7 – Rajiv’s Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 7 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 8 – Hall Ways Blog – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 11 – Westveil Publishing – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 12 – Writer with Wanderlust – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 13 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 14 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 14 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 15 – Sefina Hawke’s Books – book spotlight
Enter the Giveaway:

BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! A SNARKY GUIDE TO OFICE LINGO Book Tour Giveaway

 


 

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!