She Wulf Blog Tour and Giveaway- Book Review

Welcome to this stop on Novel Publicity’s Blog Tour of She Wulf, a YA paranormal by Sheryl Steines. It is the sequel to The Day of First Sun. See my previous review here!

As part of this special extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the She Wulf eBook edition is just 99 cents this week--and so is the price of its companion, The Day of First Sun. What’s more, by purchasing either of these fantastic books at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes. The prizes include a Kindle Fire, $550 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of the book. All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment--easy to enter; easy to win! To win the prizes:

1. Purchase your copy of She Wulf  Book $13.99 or Kindle .99 cents
2. Purchase your copy of Day of First Sun  Book $9.99 or Kindle .99 cents
3. Enter the Rafflecopter contest on Novel Publicity
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The Story- Annie and Cham are back, and this time they aren’t fighting vampires and evil wizards, but chasing demons and witches back in the past.

It all begins when a Viking comes to town. His goal- to capture Annie and bring her back to the 1600’s England to fight regenerating demons. But, due to a mishap, he catches not only Annie, but her new partner Spencer. Together they are taken to a Viking village and introduced to a coven of witches that accidently created the demons that are now killing them.

In the present time, Cham is going crazy trying to figure out a way to bring Annie safely home. His search through ancient books reveals a prophecy from the past about Anaise, a young wizard female who killed demons. It is a shock to find out that Anaise, is really Annie.

Back in the past the witches make Annie extremely ill with a potion, telling her that it will help her gain power. But the truth is that it might just plain kill her. Will she survive? And can Cham find a way to bring her home?

My Thoughts- It was good, just like the first one. The character of Annie is strong and independent, while showing a wonderfully loving side with Cham. The portrayal of their romance is so sweet, and the author does a good job fleshing it out, so the reader really does feel like they’d do anything for each other.

The fact that the story jumps to the past is fun. I liked seeing how the Vikings and witches lived. The most interesting part was Annie’s notice of how quiet everything was, and it disturbed her. I think I’d feel that way too.

The story is full of twists and turns. At first you don’t know what is going on with the Viking. As soon as you figure it out, you’re in the past trying to figure out the secret of the witch coven. In the present you’re solving the Anaise mystery right alongside of Cham. And of course, the big mystery is how Annie will kill all the demons.

Critically I did have a few concerns. First off, the title of the book threw me. It’s not very interesting and sounds more like a female cartoon character, than a wizard battling evil. I wouldn’t have picked it up if I saw it on a shelf. I know the author was going for a Beowulf thing, but it didn’t work for me.

Second, there were several errors that should have been picked up by an editor. There is just a handful, but it was enough to throw me out of the book each time.

Last, the author decides to switch to the Viking’s point of view towards the very end of the book- totally unnecessary and out of place.

Overall though, I was impressed that this self published book did such a good job. The story is full and entertaining and a great sequel to the first book. I think both books are worth a read.

Interested? Here's an excerpt from She Wulf:

Someone screamed; a terrified, naked shrill cry in the distance. There were sounds of hollering, screeching, grunting, stomping. The ground rumbled under Annie as she threw several layers of animal skins to the ground.

Spencer jumped up; the coven roused themselves.

“The mead hall,” he said as they threw open the door and ran to the village center.

Chaos turned to determination as the coven traveled through the forest toward the mead hall. Annie knew the Vikings were running, screaming, panicked— but all she could hear were footsteps, and her heart pounding in her chest. Spencer had come with her; she didn’t know where he was now. She only knew the steady rhythm surrounding her as the coven followed the trail. Instinctively she went into battle mode. This was what had brought here. Her adrenaline pumped through her, her heart beat quicker, her blood boiled with rage, and she ran faster.

They were through the forest and into the clearing that surrounded the mead hall. Annie’s senses changed, grew clearer and louder. She heard terrified voices; smelled fear hanging in the air. The anxious cries of the Vikings moved through her. She listened to the growling and grunting and the rage and horror the demons brought forth. It crowded her as they broke through the wooded area.

Swords swished in the air; metal sliced through flesh. Anxious, chaotic screams greeted them as they entered the massacre.

Blood covered the earth and stuck to their shoes and clothes. Large dark patches already drenched the ground around the hall and rolled off the dead bodies that littered the ground. Annie was sick. Women and children ran from the mead hall in the direction of the coven village, away from the demons that had overtaken them.

She reached down and pulled a small boy out of the way as a demon lunged for him. She threw her first jinx at the demon, surprised by the strength of her magic. The creature flew through the air and landed on another demon. The demon on top grunted, punched the beast below it and stood up. The one on the ground rose and looked around, confused at first until it focused on a Viking running past. It reached its large hands over and plucked the Viking from mid-run and held him in the air.

Terror filled the night; panic surrounded her as she conjured a small fireball. It hovered above her palm; it grew in size and strength, and she released it toward the demon. Its lightweight clothing caught fire easily. The demon hopped around in one spot, patting down the fire, but the flames grew and inched their way upwards before consuming the demon’s skin. It screamed; pain mixed with terror. The battle stopped around them and the warriors watched, entranced by the only known means to kill the demons.

“Fire!” Annie yelled to them. “Kill them with fire!”

As if the coven awoke from a trance, fireballs lit up the night, flying through the air and consuming the demons. Fire ate away at Annie’s demon’s flesh and crackled its bones. They popped until there was nothing left but ash. The last of the monster’s scream reverberated in Annie’s ear as the wind picked up and scattered its smoking remains in the air. She lit another ball of fire above her palm and threw it in the pile of ash, burning any possible traces of the demon. The blaze flashed and died down to nothing. She ran toward another creature.

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