☀ Sword of Shadows: The Silver Web [2] - Karin Rita Gastreich

Following our Release Day Celebrations in July, thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Sword of Shadows, a Fantasy by Karin Rita Gastreich (first published 31 March 2014; this second edition 19 July 2016, Orb Weaver Press, 393 pages).

This is the second book in The Silver Web series. This new edition contains some revised scenes, and a preview of the third and final book in the series, Daughter of Aithne.

Don't miss our interview with author Karin Rita Gastreich.

PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below.  Read the first four chapters with Amazon Look Inside.

Sword of Shadows is FREE on Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owner's Lending Library.

Author Karin Rita Gastreich will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.   Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀).

Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | Author Q&A | Giveaway & Tour Stops

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Synopsis

Lands ravaged. Dreams destroyed. Demons set loose upon the earth.

Sisters in magic, Eolyn and Adiana seek to revive a millennial tradition once forbidden to women. When war strikes, their fledgling community of magas is destroyed; its members killed, captured, or scattered.

Determined to defend her people against the darkest forces of the Underworld, Eolyn seeks to escape the occupied province and deliver to King Akmael a weapon that might secure their victory. Trapped by the invading army, Adiana is taken prisoner and placed at the mercy of the ruthless Prince Mechnes and his blood thirsty queen, Rishona.

Even as their paths are separated and their world torn asunder, Eolyn and Adiana cling to a common dream. Courage and perseverance guide them through chaos toward future where magic will flourish in a world set free from blood lust and violence.

But that dream will not be possible unless both women are willing to offer the greatest possible sacrifice...

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Teaser: Excerpt

     Mechnes strode to the table where a soldier had left Renate’s head. He took his time unwrapping the bundle, exposing Renate’s matted tresses, the ragged edge of severed flesh, the face—oh, Renate’s face! Stiff, gray, and lifeless. Never again would she laugh, drink wine, cast a spell, or heal a friend.
     Adiana’s stomach clenched, and she fought the surge of bile in her throat.
     Calm, she told herself. I must remain calm.
     Just as Renate had, just like Eolyn would, without as much as a change in the rhythm of her breath.
     “Who is this woman?” Mechnes’s voice hit Adiana like a spear.
     “It is…” Adiana’s throat tightened. “Was Maga Eolyn.”
     Mechnes grunted as he studied the gruesome package. “And who are you?”
     “My name is Adiana.”
     “You are this woman’s scullery maid?”
     Adiana swallowed. She had learned how to lie during her youth in Selkynsen, after her parents were killed and she fled to the piers. Lies must be presented on a bed of truth, or they lose their seductive power. “No, I am not a servant. I am a musician from Selkynsen. Maga Eolyn brought me to Moehn to teach music to her students.”
     “Music?” Amusement broke on Mechnes’s face. He seemed genuinely surprised. “What use do magas have for music?”
     “Music is also magic, according to the traditions of Moisehén. Eolyn says…used to say that it’s a form of Primitive Magic, the oldest and most sacred of all.”
     “So you are a maga?”
     “No.” The thought came, terrible and unbidden, that now she would never be. “I only play music.”
     “Then Maga Eolyn was trying to protect you by saying you were a scullery maid? How curious.” Mechnes draped one end of the bloodied cloth over Renate’s disfigured face. “I can assure you a musician will find a much better place among the Syrnte than a scullery maid.”
     “I don’t intend to find a place among the Syrnte.” Adiana’s breath stalled under the look he gave her. “What I mean is, my home is here, in Moisehén, not with the Syrnte.”
     “It’s all one kingdom now. Or perhaps better stated, will be soon.”

Sword of Shadows
Available NOW!

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The Series: The Silver Web

This series is FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.

Eolyn [1]

**see our full feature**

In a land ravaged by civil war, the Mage King Kedehen initiates a ruthless purge of the magas. Eolyn, last daughter of the magas and sole heiress to their forbidden craft, seeks refuge in the vast and impenetrable South Woods.

When she meets the mysterious Akmael, heir to the throne of this violent realm, she embarks on a path of hope, seduction, betrayal, and war. Desire draws Eolyn toward Akmael’s dark embrace, but fate binds her to Corey of East Selen, a cunning mage whose ambition challenges the limits of love and loyalty. Can she trust either man?

Hunted in a realm of powerful wizards and brutal deceptions, Eolyn must find her own path to freedom or she will burn on the pyre.

[First published 6 May 2011; this second edition 31 March 2016, 328 pages]

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About the Author

Karin Rita Gastreich writes stories of ordinary women and the extraordinary paths they choose.

She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she is part of the biology faculty at Avila University.

An ecologist by vocation, Karin has wandered forests and wildlands for over twenty years. Her past times include camping, hiking, music, and flamenco dance.

In addition to THE SILVER WEB trilogy, Karin has published short stories in World Jumping, Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, and 69 Flavors of Paranoia. She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.

Follow Karin Rita Gastreich:

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Giveaway and Tour Stops

Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
Remember to comment to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

20 July 2016: Release Day Giveaway

Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
Remember to comment to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow Sword of Shadows' tour at:

September 5: Christine Young
September 6: BooksChatter
September 7: HarmonyKent
September 8: Where the Story Comes First
September 9: Fabulous and Brunette
September 12: The Reading Addict
September 13: T's Stuff
September 14: LibriAmoriMiei - review
September 15: The Silver Dagger Scriptorium - review
September 16: Long and Short Reviews
September 19: Writers and Authors
September 20: Queen of All She Reads
September 21: Sharing Links and Wisdom
September 22: White Sky Project - review only
September 23: Book Lover Promo

20 July 2016: Follow Sword of Shadows' Release Day Celebrations at:

1: BooksChatter
2: Hope. Dreams. Life... Love
3: Long and Short Reviews
4: T's Stuff
5: The Avid Reader
6: The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
7: Fabulous and Brunette
8: One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
9: CBY Book Club
10: Kit 'N Kabookle
11: Liz Gavin' s Blog
12: Lynn Crandall
13: Natural bri
14: Readeropolis
15: StarAngels Reviews
16: Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
17: The Reading Queen
18: The Voluptuous Book Diva
19: Two Ends of the Pen
20: books are love
21: Cover2Cover
22: Dina Rae's Write Stuff
23: It's Raining Books
24: Straight from the Library
25: Christine Young
26: Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer
27: Book Bling
28: Writer Wonderland
29: Welcome to My World of Dreams
30: This and That Book Blog
31: Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews

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