Max a Shadowblade Prime lives for one reason, to kill Giselle the witch that made her a shadowblade. For thirty years Max has fought Giselle every step of the way or as far as her magical compulsions (spells etched into her very bones by soul madding torture) will let her. The Guardians have decided to wipe out humanity and restore magic to the world, they need the witches to be their generals on the front lines, but if this happens they will be little more than puppets, so Giselle needs Max to stop fighting her and help save their home Horngate. Max will find that there is more to live for than her need for revenge.

This was a well written and riveting book, I could not put it down, I hope that there are many more to read. ( )

Bitter Night by Diana Pharaoh Francis

A young woman is given extraordinary powers by her friend, a witch. In exchange for these powers she must serve the witch for eternity. Her struggle with her identity and her ethics while immersed in a violence prone culture defines the story. A war among immortals plays second chair to Max’s search for self.

Frankly when I requested this book for review I did it with skepticism. I wasn’t sure it was my cup of java. Once again I am glad I pushed aside my cynical bent and tried someone new. I am now a fan. I truly enjoyed the emotional interplay between the characters. Francis imbues realism into her fantasy world. Max’s self destructive urges are sublimated by her loyalty to those dependent on her strength. Honor and loyalty are sure fire captivators of my literary interest and Francis illustrates them quite graphically. I will do my best to follow up on this review by reviewing the next in the series. There is plenty of action and good solid character development. I heartily enjoyed the book.

I recommend the book. ( )

The first book of the "Horngate Witches" series, Bitter Night is full of bloody, gruesome, and high flying adventure. I can almost say, this isn't for those with weak constitutions. Some of the injuries Shadowblades and Sunspears endure are pretty gruesome and the author is very sadistic.. in a good way! LOL. For the first book right out the gate of this series, I have to say, not bad. Not bad at all. I definitely wouldn't say fantastic or anything but not bad. There were a few nuances with the changing in viewpoints I thought was odd and there was some inconsistency with the shifting of the viewpoint that caused me to backtrack a little bit to reconfirm who's view it was. Sometimes first books in a new series can be slow with attempting to build the characters, the scenery, back stories and so forth, Bitter Night definitely didn't lull. I could easily have read this in half the time it took me if I didn't have to eat, take a shower, feed the kid, shower her, put her on the potty, ya know.. all those responsibilities and believe me, breaking away was hard for me to do.

I really like Max's character. I felt we didn't get enough of the other Sunspears and Shadowblades to decide if I liked them or not. Akemi, Oz and Niko seemed cool. I am on the fence about Alexander, he was borderline weak and kind of grated my nerves. I don't see he and Max in a romantic relationship. I can't wait to find out what's next with the Horngate, the witches, the angels, and the war..

Sooo.. Diana Pharoah Francis, when's book two coming out? :D ( )

Wow It obviously has been awhile since I visited this kind of book. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed reading them. This book was simply fantastic!! It was fast paced, lots of action, battles, and a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure.

The main character, Max, was so easy to like. She's tough, independent, bull headed, with an underlying of softness you just want to see emerge from her. She's a Shadowblade of a powerful witch in which she loves/hates. She is at constant battle with her feelings towards Giselle. I really enjoyed that aspect. It gave the book a sense of realism.

I got to say in this book a Shadowblade has to eat to heal, maintain strength, etc. and I don't mean make sure you don't miss meals eating. I'm talking eating whatever you want, whenever you want and tons of it!! I was drooling for all the scrumptious food I was reading about throughout the book. Imagine being able to eat like that!

Okay I got off topic back to the review. In short this book was a great read and I can't wait to read the next in the series to see what happens next. It was that good!

I received this book from Pocketbooks for a blog tour. ( )

Summary: Once, Max dreamed of a career, a home, a loving family. Now all she wants is freedom…and revenge. A witch named Giselle transformed Max into a warrior with extraordinary strength, speed, and endurance. Bound by spellcraft, Max has no choice but to fight as Giselle’s personal magic weapon — a Shadowblade — and she’s lethally good at it. But her skills are about to be put to the test as they never have before….

The ancient Guardians of the earth are preparing to unleash widespread destruction on the mortal world, and they want the witches to help them. If the witches refuse, their covens will be destroyed, including Horngate, the place Max has grudgingly come to think of as home. Max thinks she can find a way to help Horngate stand against the Guardians, but doing so will mean forging dangerous alliances — including one with a rival witch’s Shadowblade, who is as drawn to Max as she is to him — and standing with the witch she despises. Max will have to choose between the old life she still dreams of and the warrior she has become, and take her place on the side of right — if she survives long enough to figure out which side that is….

I have lately had an issue with getting into books, it's a weird and inconvenient problem in the book blogging hobby. I started reading this book after dinner last night and continued reading to about 2am today. It was amazing, it was a bit slow to start and there was a part of the plot that I was a bit lost on but everything else was amazing. The dialogue was witty, funny, and full of a few fun pop-culture references. I love the strength of Max's character and the tension between her and Alexander. I love the angels, witches, faerie folk, creatures, spells, magic, etc. I loved it all. There was so much action going on in this book, it is non-stop the whole way through, no joke, there is like 2 pages in the whole book that something is not going on. It was a complete thrill ride, one I will gladly take again when the next book is released, and I can hardly wait to see whats up with Scooter.

For more information or for purchasing visit Ms.Francis's webpage.

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