Hi everyone!
Welcome to my blog spot for Children of the Bloodlands by S.M. Beiko! I'm so thrilled to be hosting this. I have an excerpt that you definitely don't want to miss!
The dazzling second book in S.M. Beiko’s Realms of Ancient series
Three months after the battle of Zabor, the five friends that came together to defeat her have been separated. Burdened with the Calamity Stone she acquired in Scion of the Fox, Roan has gone to Scotland to retrace her grandmother’s steps in an attempt to stop further evil from entering the world.
Meanwhile, a wicked monster called Seela has risen from the ashy Bloodlands and is wreaking havoc on the world while children in Edinburgh are afflicted by a strange plague; Eli travels to Seoul to face judgment and is nearly murdered; Natti endures a taxing journey with two polar bears; Phae tries desperately to obtain the key to the Underworld; and Barton joins a Family-wide coalition as the last defense against an enemy that will stop at nothing to undo Ancient’s influence on Earth — before there is no longer an Earth to fight for.
This book just came out a few days ago, which means you can now get it! Check these places out:
Any now, the excerpt I know you've all been waiting for:
Blog Tour: Children of the Bloodlandsby S.M. Beiko
Excerpt: Part I
I turned. The bladeless hilt of my garnet sword was strapped to my ankle, though I hadn’t been able to use it since fighting Zabor. That didn’t matter. I was aching for this. The fight was cinematic in my head despite the mounting number of holes in my plan.
But I didn’t get farther than a step before a hand snapped out and wrenched me back by the forearm. It held fast. The stench of burning flesh flooded my already keyed-up senses. His burning flesh.
And yet he still smiled.
Only a few people turned — probably the Denizens. The rest went about their eating and drinking. I looked around wildly, and I tried to thrash away, the man’s skin blackening steadily from his fingertips up along his arm.
“Troublesome mongrel,” he said again in his terribly familiar voice. “I have come to give you a warning, targe stealer. Fox traitor. I have left the garden to bring you good tidings.”
I watched his arm cook between us. I wanted to throw up. “Urka?”
“My masters are eager. They tire of our beloved ashes. They wish to make this a world for their own children. They extend gratitude for helping them.”
I pulled, but the grip was iron. No one was moving to rescue me. I felt myself getting hotter. I knew I could burn him alive if he didn’t let go, but I had to know. “Helping them with what?”
Urka’s human face shimmered as his clothes caught fire, the synthetics fusing and melting to its skin. “For helping them send their beloved child past the Veil and into your realm. For it could not have happened without you.”
The black eyes were earnest. I remembered Urka’s stone axe hands, the furnace in its belly. I stopped resisting.
“The children are coming,” Urka said. “They are coming for you.”
My chest tightened, and in my moment of terror, the stone perceived its chance. The fire inside me escalated into an inferno, left my skin, and poured out like hot gas. Urka’s gaping yellowed grin peeled away as its very human body stretched, blackened, hardened. Then the grip seized, throwing me backward into the ten-foot-high decorative shelf of alcohol behind me.
I didn’t have time to stop myself. The Dragon Opal wouldn’t let me. I was a powder keg, and the minute I connected and the glass and liquid rained down, I knew the inferno was no longer just inside me. The restaurant lit up like Hogmanay.
Excerpted from Children of the Bloodlands by S.M. Beiko.© 2018 by S.M. Beiko. All rights reserved. Published by ECW Press Ltd. www.ecwpress.com
Praise for Children of the Bloodlands:
“In book 2 of The Realms of Ancient, Beiko brings the hammer down while continuing all that I loved about Scion of the Fox— the characters, the originality, and the real-world locations. I cannot wait to read the series finale. Bravo!” — Julie E. Czerneda, author of the Night’s Edge series
“S.M. Beiko's Children of the Bloodlands is a wild, fiery, earth-shattering, sky-scraping ride. Roan and her friends, who came together so memorably in Scion of the Fox, must now follow separate paths, which lead them into realms that are both terrifying and beautiful, and truths that hurt before they heal. Book 3 can't come soon enough!” — Caitlin Sweet, author of The Door in the Mountain and The Flame in the Maze
“The rewardingly complex mythology is deepened through parallel humanizing themes in the protagonists' storylines, while game-changing action sequences unleash real consequences in the highly diverse world. A densely-packed, well-crafted sequel that will leave readers eager for the trilogy's finale.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Children of the Bloodlandsis an exceptional instalment to the Realms of Ancient saga. S.M. Beiko injects her narrative with a passion and pathos that had me hooked from the very first page. This is a complex and compelling fantasy from one of Canada's most exciting literary-spec writers. I'm eagerly awaiting book three.” — Charlene Challenger, author of The Voices in Between and The Myth in Distance
“[An] intricately plotted and pleasantly creepy volume. Roan, with her sarcasm, intensity, and increasing world-weariness, is a compelling, realistic protagonist . . . This action-packed Canadian animal fantasy trilogy is recommended for its unique mythology and diverse characters.” — School Library Journalonline
About the author:
S.M. Beiko is an eclectic writer and artist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She also works as a freelance editor, illustrator, graphic designer, and consultant in the trade book and comic publishing industries in Canada and the U.S. Her first novel, The Lake and the Library, was nominated for the Manitoba Book Award for Best First Book as well as the 2014 Aurora Award. Her fantasy trilogy, The Realms of Ancient, began with Scion of the Fox, followed by Children of the Bloodlands, and will be concluded with The Brilliant Dark(2019).
You can find her here:
Website: https://www.smbeiko.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SMBeikoAuthor/
Twitter: @SMBeiko
Instagram: @samantha_smash
That's it from me! I hope you guys enjoyed this. And don't forget to check out the other blog spots! :)
That Cover is stunning!
ReplyDeleteI agree!
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