Note: I don't do bad reviews, only those books I love and feel comfortable recommending to others.
Lily's unique creation, Magenta Shaman, truly is something to behold. The strange world she inhabits via shamanic trances (Magenta, not Lily), is portrayed in such a subtly clever drip-feed to the reader that it fits as snugly as a woolly winter jumper; albeit one that prickles the skin!
In this first foray, Magenta's loyal husband, Tom, is dismayed that Magenta (or 'Maggie' as he calls her) has been secretly doing her dangerous and mystical work 'on the other side'. Magenta has been reporting to 'The Judge', a character who features heavily throughout, but there's much more to him than meets the eye (no spoilers here). In stark contrast to the transcendent place where Magenta does her work, back in the real world the seaside resort of Brighton offers a strong sense of place.
When Tom's instincts to 'protect' Magenta rise to the surface, knowing her compulsion to continue her work is steadfast, there's only one way for him to do it... join her on the other side. Much easier said than done. If Tom manages this, then will his inexperience put him in danger? Will the 'protector' need protecting?
As Magenta safeguards the innocent souls on this distant and perilous plane, she encounters the fearsome Billowat, with razor fangs, one bite from which will 'zombify' you forever. Your naturally instinct would be to run and never return. Not so Magenta. How can she when her mission is to bring back the creature's tooth! But is she is being watched? Are things really what they seem? And to what lengths will her beloved Tom go to save her? And vice versa.
Lily Childs reaches deep into the chasms of her mind and skilfully drags the reader into a new world in such a way that you're there beside Magenta with every perilous step she takes. The ending gave me goose-bumps. In short, the darkest, suspenseful love story I've ever read. Buy it here.
And now Magenta's second outing is upon us... "Magenta Shaman Stones The Crow"... I've got my copy... what are you waiting for?
11 comments:
Sounds like a winner, and Lily is tops. Your review and recommendation ensure that it will find a place on my nook. Best of luck to Lily!
What an excellent review.. If it wasn't already on my list you would have guaranteed it a place..x
Sean, thanks. Please educate me, bud. Nooks - can they read Kindle ebooks? Are Nooks just for Barnes & Noble books? It's all new to me. Cheers.
Rose,
I thank you. x
Hey Col. Good lookin' site. I'll jump on the Nook, e-book, etc. conversation. The answer right now is no Nook won't convert formats.. But there's a great free application called Calibre that does instant -- like ten seconds -- conversion from and to most any format with a simple drag and drop technique. If you want to take a look: http://calibre-ebook.com/
Wow, AJ - what a clever site!
Ta buddy.
Great shout out, Col. Lily rocks and so does her writing. Got mine, mate!
Thank you so much for the review Col. I know this isn't your usual thing, but until I wrote it, it wasn't mine either! Still feel a bit of a fraud labelling it as 'fantasy', but dark urban fantasy seems to to fit the bill (and I've got my horror sauce splashed all over it).
Sean, Rosalind, AJ and David - thank you so much for your comments. I hope you enjoy reading Magenta Shaman Stones The Crow and would love your honest feedback.
AJ - thank you for the Calibre news! That is very interesting. I played the demo video and it's really cool. Cheers.
Col, AJ beat me to the answer, He is right on about calibre, If you also put an ebook on smashwords, you can download it in any ereader format, without any conversion required.
Dave, you're not wrong.
Lil, you're welcome. x
Sean, thanks for the info, bud.
This cover is absolutely beautiful. It qualifies as art!
Elaine Ash
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