Water Over Blood by Dale Ibitz ~*~ Giveaway

 Title:  Water Over Blood

Series:  Last Moon Rising #3

Author:  Dale Ibitz

Published:  October 20th 2013

Length:  290pgs

Format:  ebook

Genre:  YA fantasy

Shelf:  review

Rating:  ★★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Darkness. Pain. Loss.

This is what seventeen-year-old Haley feels when waking up in a damp, gloomy cave. She doesn’t know who or where she is, nor does she remember that she is Eyid-emos, a descendant of the God of Air. All she knows is the dark angel, Dane, who comes to her rescue, making her feel safe and protected. It’s from Dane, descendant of the God of Fire, that she learns she’s looking for the lost stones of power to end the war between the nature gods.

But the safe feeling doesn’t last long. Dark memories of a gorgeous blond guy name Tuggin begin to haunt her, and Haley realizes on some levels she’s fighting against remembering. There’s something both endearing and frightening about the hall-god with the cold, blue eyes, this stranger who she remembers as being both kind and brutal, who’s one of the hated witches on Eyidora, and who holds deadly secrets.

When Haley and Dane meet with Tuggin and his companions, everything changes as they hunt for the Water Eyid stone. They need to work as a team to end the war, but suspicion and rivalries run rampant in the group. Will Haley be betrayed by the one person she trusts the most?

My Review:

If I were to describe this book in 1 word it would be ‘gripping.’ This exciting and mysterious story grabbed hold of me from the first page and didn’t let go. It still hasn’t let go, but rather is one of those works that stay with you for the long haul. Ibitz takes her intrinsically captivating and strongly developed storyline and backs it up with vivid descriptions. Her words act as a slideshow of images, allowing the reader to see each and every aspect of this land. She also has a wide array of mythical creatures that are well developed to the extent that you can visualise each. They add to the realism of this very vivid world. I’d definitely love to visit it.

By writing in the first person Ibitz really draws you into the story and makes it easy to identify with the main character. You feel like you’re part of her story, helping her figure out what she’s living through. Although we’ve gotten to know many of these characters in the first two novels in the series they continue to grow and morph through this story. You also get to see many of them in a very different light. Everyone’s true colours begin to shine through the pages of this brilliant tale.

Overall, I’m thoroughly in love with the brilliantly developed world that Ibitz presents to her audience. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to anyone and I can’t wait to see what happens next. A word of warning, however. I’d definitely suggest reading the series in order to have all of the background information.

And now, enter to win in this fantastic giveaway for the Last Moon Rising series by author Dale Ibitz.

1st prize:  Paperback copies of books 1-3 in the Last Moon Rising series by Dale Ibitz (includes Fire in the Blood, Strong Blood, & Water Over Blood).

2nd prize:  Ecopies of books 1-3 in the Last Moon Rising series by Dale Ibitz (includes Fire in the Blood, Strong Blood, & Water Over Blood).

Contest is open internationally.

Entries close 11:59pm Mar 10/14.

Winners will be announced Mar 11/14.

Winners have 72h to claim their prizes or a new winner will be drawn.

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Strong Blood by Dale Ibitz

Title:  Strong Blood

Author:  Dale Ibitz

Series:  Last Moon Rising Series #2

Published:  October 1st 2012 by Createspace

Page Count:  260

Genre:  Young Adult Fantasy

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★★

Synoopsis from Goodreads:

The war between nature's gods continues to rage on Eyidora and Haley, descendant of the Air Eyid, struggles with her own battles.

She's mired in a battle with Ian, the Fire Eyid descendant, over the lost Eyid stones. She needs the stones to stop the war, and he needs the stones to destroy Eyidora. She knows where the Land Eyid stone is hidden, and she races to Tamoor to find it before Ian does.

Haley still doesn't trust Tuggin, the stone-faced Eyidoran assigned to protect her. As a Menta witch, he's adept at lying, mind-control, and killing. Even though Haley is starting to believe that Tuggin may be serving more than one master, she continues to battle her feelings for him, never sure which duty he feels most inclined to serve.

But Haley's biggest battle of all comes when she meets Luke and Telsa, twins with undeniable strength. Haley invites them to join her on her mission to find the Land Eyid stone. Has she put her trust in someone who may be just as dark and dangerous as Ian, the descendant of Fire himself?


My Review:

In her brilliant follow up to Fire in the Blood, Ibitz continues with his mastery of the English language and with her well developed mythology to create a work that is difficult to beat. Her descriptions make this world vividly real.

The mythology that we learn about in the first novel of the series is further developed here. We find out a great deal more about the lands and their relationship with the gods. We also find out about the connections between the demi-gods and their place in the hierarchy of the world. As with many other mythologies, the goal is to reach a balance.

The characters continue on their quest to save not only their world, but the universe while battling with issues that are all too commonly faced in our teenage years. The reality of these situations brings to light the similarity of all peoples. This is made abundantly clear through the main character. She is such a realistic teenager, right down to the way that she talks and thinks. She battles through feelings of inadequacy and through trust issues on a daily basis. Even during the times that you feel she is being difficult or somewhat naive you cannot help but feel for her and see where she is coming from.

Throughout this installment I did find myself right alongside the main character, questioning the intentions of the characters. I began to wonder who was really on which side of the battle. There is a veil of mystery throughout this novel that pulls you further and further into the action and deception. I found myself rooting for certain characters and wondering what on Eyidora others were up to.
This novel leaves you perfectly situated to dive into the next installment in the series. Ibitz manages to finish the novel in such a way that you cannot help but need to read the next installment, but giving this one a conclusion of sorts. She does not leave us mid action sequence, nor do the characters reach the end of their quest. By the end of the novel, all I was left muttering 2 things to my dogs: (1) wow; and (2) where’s the next installment?

Buy your copy online here today!

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Fire in the Blood by Dale Ibitz

Title:  Fire in the Blood

Author:  Dale Ibitz

Series:  Last Moon Rising Series #1

Published:  July 11th 2011 by CreateSpace (first published 2011)

Page Count:  236

Genre:  Young Adult Fantasy

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Global warming is playing havoc on Earth, and when 17 year-old Haley tumbles to a parallel world, she discovers that Earth’s issues stem from a war between the Eyids, the gods of nature. Because her necklace is a stone that holds the power of the Air Eyid, Haley is called upon to stop the war

But Haley has a problem. Actually, two problems. One named Tuggin, and one named Ian.

Both lie to her. Both have secrets. And neither are who they say they are. With her stone of power, Haley’s forced to make a choice that will decide the fate of all the worlds. But who should she trust, who should she fight, and who is the one with fire in his blood bent on betraying them all?

My Review:

Holy Cow!!! I can’t believe how caught up I was in this book. I admit that at the beginning I had a chapter or two wondering where this novel was headed, but then I could not put the book down. Ibitz has a writing style that immerses you into the action of the story. I wanted to run out and help the characters with their various trials. His descriptions make all of the different areas of the realm seem so real. Everything flows together to create a dynamic reading experience for his audience.

There is an entirely new mythology developed with this story. It comes complete with gods and demi-gods vying for power. Each god has their own realm within the world that is not only symbolic. The lands ruled by these gods each has distinctive features marking them. Ibitz’s very interesting explanation of global warming definitely gives you something to think about.

I absolutely loved the characters. They are all well developed and seem like real people. Oh, some of them are mysterious, not giving away too many details, but they are not flat characters. Ibitz also manages to develop characters that give off a definite creepy vibe. His characters face real world dilemmas while on their very interesting journeys. The main character is constantly fighting against a feeling of not belonging anywhere, which is something faced by so many teens. She also learns that being yourself and staying true to your beliefs is more important than being accepted by the so-called “popular” crowd. I definitely felt for her when she was rejected by one of the “hall gods”, but was still left wondering if maybe, just maybe, they might get together in a future novel. The dialogue was also very appropriate for the various characters. I absolutely loved the fact that each of the Eyidoran races have their own distinctive speech patterns.

I cannot believe how well put together this novel was. Ibitz is an amazing storyteller and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every page. I cannot wait to read the next installment. Strong Blood, here I come.

Buy your copy online here today!

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