In the past, I was doing star ratings for books. I don’t want to do that anymore because I don’t know how to use them properly, so I’m going to use this space to simply talk about my thoughts and feelings. I’m also going to try to be better about it because I tend not to write these things down after I finish a book. Then my brain gets all foggy on the details and I end up not doing it at all!
Okay, Charlie N. Holmberg. I’ve read all of her books except for Veins of Gold. Oh, and the Plastic Magician–which I just bought. Anyway, as you might expect, that means I like her books quite a lot!
Charlie has an almost cozy way of writing fantasy. It’s a good time, but that’s actually where Smoke and Summons differs the most from her other books. Smoke and Summons is rather dark. It’s about demons. Sandis, the female main character, is literally a vessel for them. She’s bound to a fire horse of hell, basically, and can even communicate with him. It shouldn’t be possible, but there we have it. She’s special.
Then there’s Rone, our male main character, and his magical device that makes him immortal for one minute in a 24 hour period. If this doesn’t sound like the making of an on-the-go adventure, then I don’t know what does. That’s exactly what it is, too.
Sandis escapes her master, runs into Rone, and then they’re on the run for most of the book. There are high stakes, intense scenes, betrayal, an interesting and engaging fantasy world, and a romance. If any of those things sound like your cup of tea, you might want to check this one out.
It ends on a cliffhanger that has me chomping at the bit for the next book.
It’s available on Amazon, so why not take a look? Read the blurb, look at that cover, and see what you think!
