I’m happy to be part of the blog tour for Amber Eyes, the second book in Children of the Blood Moon, by S.D. Grimm. If you want to follow the tour, be sure to stop in at Blooming with Books for a book review and interview!
Now, I really don’t like putting spoilers in reviews, so I’m going to try to share my experience with the story without doing that. If you decide to read this series, you’ll want to start with Scarlet Moon.
Here’s the blurb for Amber Eyes:
Destiny can be cruel.
Darkness retreated from the light of the scarlet moon, but has since grown even stronger. The Mistress of Shadows has found a new pawn—one that may be the key to unlocking the door to her underground prison. Now evil threatens to escape its shackles and destroy the land.
In the aftermath of loss and betrayal, Jayden’s fight with the enemy still isn’t over. But while she isn’t sure she can stop the Mistress alone, leaving her friends might be the only way to keep them from being consumed by the darkness.
With lives hanging in the balance—and no time for error—can Jayden make the right choice?
I’ll start with the things I love about this story.
This tale is packed with passion. It seems every major character has a complicated past that comes out in their reactions to circumstances. They do nothing half-heartedly. There’s always someone to root for, even if I’m currently annoyed at one or more of the main characters. 🙂
These characters are multi-dimensional. They have pasts, as I mentioned, and I find most of them fascinating. Jayden, Ethan, and Ryan interact in ways that seem real, if sometimes frustrating. And new characters have been introduced in this book that I’m dying to know more about.
Cool prophecies and tools! I’m a sucker for worlds with prophecies and healing plants and swords that glow(Sting, anyone?). These things abound in Amber Eyes.
There were a few things I didn’t enjoy so much.
Those fascinating characters I mentioned were at times hard to keep track of. After a while I stopped paging back to see where a person came from and just read on. It usually became clear eventually.
Some of the dialogue/character interaction was confusing. I know I said they interacted in real ways, and it seemed like they were, but I was shown a blurry picture of it. Most of the time it was great, though.
My least favorite part: there is a lot of killing, and condoning of killing. This isn’t an overtly Christian book, but the rest of the characters’ interactions seem to be good and noble, so it surprised me that most of the characters were okay with taking someone’s life. Sometimes with no reason but anger. Since I believe Jesus meant what he said about loving our enemies, this clashed with my worldview. Of course, I read books that do that, but that was my experience.
All in all, it was an enjoyable read. I’m looking forward to what comes next in the series!
Buy your copy of Amber Eyes below:
S.D. Website – Amazon – Barnes & Noble
Or check it out on Goodreads.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35644585-amber-eyes
Want to hang out with the author? Calling all book readers! Join author S.D. Grimm as we chat about her fantasy novel AMBER EYES on January 30th from 8 PM to 11 PM EST (6 PM CDT and 5 PM PST).
Grab your favorite drink and snack and be prepared for a fun time of chatting with SD, games, and giveaways.
Special guests Nadine Brandes, Lindsay A. Franklin, and Sara Baysinger will also be sharing their books and joining in the fun.
Giveaway!!
Want to dive into a new world? Enter to win a signed copy of both Amber Eyes and Scarlet Moon, a grimmlie dragon of the dragon on the cover (made by the author), a charm bracelet (made by her Captain America), and a $10 amazon gift card. (US only. Sorry!)
Giveaway link: giveawaytools2.com/giveaway.php?sk=45850502048
About the Author
S.D. Grimm’s first love in writing is young adult fantasy and science fiction, which is to be expected from someone who looks up to heroes like Captain America and Wonder Woman, has been sorted into Gryffindor, and identifies as rebel scum. Her patronus is a red Voltron lion, her spirit animal is Toothless, and her favorite meal is second breakfast. She is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency, her office is anywhere she can curl up with her laptop and at least one large-sized dog, and you can learn more about her upcoming novels at www.sdgrimm.com
Social Media Links
Website – Newsletter – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Spotify – Pinterest – Goodreads
Loved hearing your thoughts ,Sheri, on Amber Eyes! I thought the prophecies to be fascinating as well! Also, I think you said it very well: This is a story of passion. Looking back, that is a perfect description of it.
Thanks so much for sharing and participating in the blog tour!
Thank you for reading, Laura! 🙂