Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Ice Crypt, a Young Adult Fantasy by Tiana Warner (25 July 2016, Rogue Cannon Publishing, 334 pages). This is the second book in the Mermaids of Eriana Kwai series.
PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below. Read the first three chapters with Amazon Look Inside.
Ice Crypt is FREE on Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owner's Lending Library.
Author Tiana Warner is hosting three giveaways! One on GoodReads for a paperback copy of the book; one on Twitter and Instagram where she will award one $200 Amazon Gift card (!!!), and finally one via Xpresso Book Tours and Rafflecopter where she will be awarding a signed copy of Ice Crypt, a crochet mermaid tail, + a $25 Amazon Gift Card (US/CAN) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway
Synopsis
Meela has just returned from the Massacre—the annual attempt to wipe out the mermaids threatening her people’s survival. After forming an unlikely connection with Lysi, a mermaid she was trained to kill, Meela is determined to stop the war between humans and merpeople for good. She knows of a legendary weapon that could bring peace if she uses it against King Adaro, ruler of the Pacific Ocean. But her people have plans for future Massacres and refuse to help her uncover it.While Meela works in secret to unearth the Host of Eriana, Lysi is held captive under Adaro’s tyranny. Sent to the battlefront, Lysi joins forces with a band of rebels that could either bring her freedom—or have her executed for treason.
Separated by the vast Pacific Ocean, Meela and Lysi must find a way to defeat King Adaro and end the war that has been keeping them apart.
Teaser: Excerpt
from Chapter 1
The Massacre trainees had all gone home for dinner. The woods settled peacefully when not filled with the buzz of girls discussing battle tactics. Leaves whispered in the summer breeze, insects chirred in my ears, and a thrush somewhere near enjoyed an endless conversation with one several trees away.
Then voices cut through the forest, and the thrush fell silent. A small group approached the cabin. I stayed still, hidden partly by leaves and partly because they wouldn’t bother looking up here.
My father led the group, conversing in a low voice with Anyo, the training master. A tough, solemn man, Anyo bore a scar where a mermaid had once torn half his scalp off. His eyes stayed downcast, hiding any indication of whether or not he was in a good mood. He was my key target. He was the one who made the ultimate decisions concerning the Massacres.
Hassun followed—a tall, muscled man in his late twenties who had also survived the Massacre, back when we were naive enough to send men. In fact, Hassun was the last ever man to survive it. It was shortly afterwards that the Massacre Committee decided to switch to female warriors.
After him came Mujihi, the thick, severe-looking father of my least favourite human being on the island.
A thirty-something woman trailed behind. I was fairly sure she was the lead seamstress for the Massacre uniforms and the widow of a former warrior.
The group entered the cabin and shut the door.
I turned back to my owlets. They blinked at me.
“Stay in your nest as long as you can,” I said. “Trust me.”
I shimmied down the trunk.
For the millionth time, I reviewed what I would say. Annith and I had rehearsed so I wouldn’t come across as an eighteen-year-old girl trying to act like an adult, but rather an enlightened warrior. It was an ongoing struggle.
I was part way down the tree when footsteps crunched nearby and Annith strode into view. She stopped outside the cabin door, glancing around.
I landed lightly in front of her on the spongy forest floor. She didn’t flinch. After a lifetime of friendship, it was as though she’d expected me to arrive via tree.
We stared at each other, my anxiety reflected on her shiny, freckled face.
“You won’t have to say anything,” I said.
“I’ll jump in if you need help.”
Leaving the soft glow of the forest, we entered the dimly lit room and the collective stare of half the Massacre Committee. Where were the rest of them? We sat at the far side of the long table. The hard wooden seat and musty cabin smell brought back memories of my years in the training program.
I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and squared my shoulders.
To my left sat Hassun, rocking his chair back on two creaky legs and gazing out the window like he had better things to do. Beside him was the training master, and then the widow. An empty chair remained across from me. Mujihi stood behind everyone else, squinting down at us. Then there was my father, drumming his knuckles on the table, avoiding my eye.
No one spoke.
I swallowed, a nervous gulp that was far too loud.
“Thank you, everyone, for agreeing to meet with us.”
… finally, I thought bitterly.
I kept my eyes on my father and Anyo. Neither of them looked at me.
“We were approached by the mermaids’ king,” I said, my words strong. “He offered a bargain.” There. Now, they were looking at me.
“Which brings me here with my fellow Massacre warrior, Annith, to propose a new strategy for freedom from the sea demons. After decades of war, it’s clear the Massacres are not working.”
This was met with raised eyebrows, crossed arms, and unconvinced frowns. My father’s face was unreadable. He had already shown infuriating hesitation at home. But he, of all people, should have been eager to listen to a plan that might end the Massacres. He’d experienced the horrors first-hand at my age. He’d lost his son—my older brother—to one. He’d nearly lost me two weeks prior.
“We’re still starving,” I said, “we can’t go near the water, and we risk the lives of twenty warriors per mission each spring. Annith and I have a plan but we need help. According to the king, there is a lost legend about Eriana Kwai. If we can uncover it, we can use its power to bring peace—”
Hassun raised a hand. “You’re telling me the demons’ king just swam up to you and told you about this legend?”
I glanced to Annith. “Not exactly.”
What was I supposed to say? My secret, treacherous friendship with a mermaid led to this? My people would sooner throw me out to sea with a rock tied to my ankles than accept that I’d befriended a sea demon.
Ice Crypt
Available NOW!
The Series: Mermaids of Eriana Kwai
Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.
Ice Massacre [1]
*Ice Crypt launch special: Until July 31, 2016, Ice Massacre is only 99c.*
A mermaid’s supernatural beauty serves one purpose: to lure a sailor to his death.
The Massacre is supposed to bring peace to Eriana Kwai. Every year, the island sends its warriors to battle these hostile sea demons. Every year, the warriors fail to return. Desperate for survival, the island must decide on a new strategy. Now, the fate of Eriana Kwai lies in the hands of twenty battle-trained girls and their resistance to a mermaid’s allure.
Eighteen-year-old Meela has already lost her brother to the Massacre, and she has lived with a secret that’s haunted her since childhood. For any hope of survival, she must overcome the demons of her past and become a ruthless mermaid killer.
For the first time, Eriana Kwai’s Massacre warriors are female, and Meela must fight for her people’s freedom on the Pacific Ocean’s deadliest battleground.
[Published 18 September 2014, 377 pages]
About the Author
#1 AMAZON KINDLE BESTSELLING AUTHOR Tiana Warner was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her horse, Bailey, and collecting tea cups.Follow Tiana Warner:
Giveaway
Win a $200 Amazon Gift Card
To enter the launch contest, post a photo of your copy of Ice Crypt on Twitter or Instagram. Tag the author in it - @tianawarner. (It can be either the paperback or Kindle version, as long as the cover is visible.)
The winner will be randomly selected from valid entries.
You can enter a maximum of twice per day, once on Twitter and once on Instagram.
Deadline: September 30.
You can enter a maximum of twice per day, once on Twitter and once on Instagram.
Deadline: September 30.
Enter to win a signed copy of Ice Crypt, a crochet mermaid tail, + a $25 Amazon Gift Card (US/CAN).
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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