I really like the cover of this one because it's so artistic. Read an
excerpt from the book and enter to win a copy of your own below...
The Tiger's Watch
(Ashes of Gold #1)
by Julia Ember
YA Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 180 Pages
August 22nd 2017 by Harmony Ink Press
Summary
Sixteen-year-old Tashi has spent their life training as a inhabitor, a soldier who spies and kills using a bonded animal. When the capital falls after a brutal siege, Tashi flees to a remote monastery to hide. But the invading army turns the monastery into a hospital, and Tashi catches the eye of Xian, the regiment’s fearless young commander.
Tashi spies on Xian’s every move. In front of his men, Xian seems dangerous, even sadistic, but Tashi discovers a more vulnerable side of the enemy commander—a side that draws them to Xian.
When their spying unveils that everything they’ve been taught is a lie, Tashi faces an impossible choice: save their country or the boy they’re growing to love. Though Tashi grapples with their decision, their volatile bonded tiger doesn’t question her allegiances. Katala slaughters Xian’s soldiers, leading the enemy to hunt her. But an inhabitor’s bond to their animal is for life—if Katala dies, so will Tashi.
(Affiliate links included - I receive a small kickback if you make a purchase using my links.)
Excerpt #2
Relaxing my back and leaning against the wall, I reached for Katala. Her response was swift, impatient. As soon as my thoughts settled in her body, she moved, an excitement in her step as we trotted through the snow. There was something she’d been waiting all day to show me.
We darted behind a rock and into Katala’s temporary den. She never stayed in one place long enough to carve out a territory or find a mate. Her nomadic spirit matched her role as an inhabitor’s bondmate, although I sometimes felt sorry that she would never experience a full tiger’s life with a territory or cubs of her own. Then again, maybe she pitied me in the same way.
Crawling forward on her belly, Katala took us deep into the cave she’d claimed. Icy stalactites lined the mouth, and the floor froze the pads of her paws. The cave was midnight black, and if I had been in my own body, I never would have been able to make out the ash of metal at the back of the den. I squinted toward it, sniffing the air. Despite the warmth of Katala’s thick fur, I shivered. The smell was unmistakable: blood.
Our teeth sank into half-frozen fresh, cutting through muscle and fat, meeting bone. Strings of the decaying meat lodged themselves between our canines. I felt queasy and swallowed down a bitter dread. The taste was a mixture of salt and something sour. I tried to unlock our shared jaws and to stop Katala from dragging into sight what I knew was coming....
A man. Determinedly, Katala pulled her prize into the middle of the cave floor. I studied him through the lens of her proud gaze, feeling disconnected from her even though I still inhabited her body. She had torn off most of his armor, but links of chain mail were frozen to the clotted blood forming red ice crystals on his skin. His head lolled to one side, nearly severed from his neck by the deep wound that gaped from his throat.
I searched her memories as Katala lay down next to her prey, body vibrating with happy rumbles. Tigers didn’t purr like housecats, but Katala made a noise between a growl and a hum when things pleased her. Through our bank of shared thoughts, I watched her creep along the forest line as she tracked a lone sentry. The vision was so real, I could nearly feel the crunch of frosted leaves beneath my paws, hear the man’s muffled scream, and sense the last pulse of his wildly thumping heart.
About the Author
Originally from Chicago, Julia Ember now resides in Edinburgh, Scotland. She spends her days working in the book trade and her nights writing teen fantasy novels. Her hobbies include riding horses, starting far too many craft projects, PokemonGo and looking after her city-based menagerie of pets with names from Harry Potter. Luna Lovegood and Sirius Black the cats currently run her life.
Julia is a polyamorous, bisexual writer. She regularly takes part in events for queer teens, including those organised by the Scottish Booktrust and LGBT Youth Scotland. A world traveler since childhood, she has now visited more than sixty countries. Her travels inspire the fantasy worlds she creates, though she populates them with magic and monsters.
Julia began her writing career at the age of nine, when her short story about two princesses and their horses won a contest in Touch magazine. In 2016, she published her first novel, Unicorn Tracks, which also focused on two girls and their equines, albeit those with horns. Her second novel, The Seafarer’s Kiss will be released by Interlude Press in May 2017. The book was heavily influenced by Julia’s postgraduate work in Medieval Literature at The University of St. Andrews. It is now responsible for her total obsession with beluga whales.
In August 2017, her third novel and the start of her first series, Tiger's Watch, will come out with Harmony Ink Press. In writing Tiger's Watch, Julia has taken her love of cats to a new level.
Tour-Wide Giveaway
Two (2) winners will receive a signed paperback of The Tiger's Watch by Julia Embers (INT)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Do you have any thoughts on this one? Do you like the cover, synopsis or what did you think of the excerpt?
No comments
Post a Comment
I love comments! I try to read and reply to them all. Feel free to agree or disagree and generally share your thoughts with me.