Winter's Maiden

Winter's Maiden
The Nordic Wars #1
By Morgan L. Busse

Winter's Maiden opens with Brighid's birth, a birth about which lies a secret and results in her being one of the clanless. The clanless are not claimed by any of the clans, and Brighid feels this lack deeply. When offered a chance to change her foreseeable future, she, of course, jumps at the possibility of having a better future than the one that is before her. 

This is an intriguing premise, and the story does not disappoint. I love how Brighid struggles to find her place in this world where she feels that she has no place. Her family didn't claim her, and if not for the midwife who oversaw her birth, she would have been lost.

But this is not a world at peace; war is on the horizon. And someone is stirring the unrest, manipulating those living in Nordica. Kaeden has been avoiding his past, but when he is given a chance to attend to those from the south in need of a healer, his skills give him a chance to interact with a captured soldier and an insight no one else has. But how can he use the knowledge he's gained to prevent a war that could destroy their whole world?

In this world Morgan M. Busse has created, we are given a world in turmoil, with characters who are searching for a place to call their own, their family. I am interested in seeing where the next book goes from here. I think this quote from the book is an example of Brighid's life:

"Unwanted at birth, barely surviving this life.

If she disappeared into the darkness forever,

would anyone even notice?"

This feels so bleak, but there are moments of truth. 

Such as:

I will be with you, warrior of the North.

Moments like this make me want to read the next book and hope for something more.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Warrior

Survivor

Daughter of the North

From the moment she is born, Brighid fights to survive in the wastelands of Nordica as a clanless one. But when a new power arrives offering a trial to join the Nordic warriors, Brighid enters, hoping to rise above her station. Soon she becomes one of their fiercest fighters and joins the war against the south.

Kaeden carries the blood of the ancient Eldaran race in his veins but turns away from his heritage after the death of his parents. Years later, he is called back to his homeland and invited to be a healer for the southern forces. With the help of an old mentor, the power inside of him starts to awaken. However, his life is turned upside down when a mighty warrior of the Nordic forces is captured.

As Kaeden interacts with the enemy, he discovers there is a darkness behind the Nordic Wars, one that is manipulating the people of the north. But who will believe him? And is there a power strong enough to break the hold of this hidden adversary? Or will the world burn in the flames of war?

About the Book:

Morgan L. Busse is a writer by day and a mother by night. She is the author of multiple series including The Ravenwood Saga and Skyworld series. She is a three-time Christy Award finalist and won the INSPY, Selah, and Carol Award for best in Christian speculative fiction. During her spare time she enjoys playing games, taking long walks, and dreaming about her next novel.

Cover Reveal for the Nightmare Virus

Today, I have the privilege to join in the Cover Reveal for The Nightmare Virus by Nadine Brandes, which will be released from Enclave Publishing in July 2024!

This YA science fantasy standalone is available to preorder in hardcover today.

https://amzn.to/41Tlrra

SYNOPSIS:

Some viruses go after the body. But the Nightmare Virus goes after the mind.

When dream technology goes wrong, a virus spreads across the globe, trapping people in a universal dreamscape. They call it the Nightmare Virus.

Cain Cross is determined to find a cure…if he can decipher his brother’s chicken-scratch formula notes. But when he gets infected, he has only 22 days until he’s trapped in the mental prison forever. Now, every time he falls asleep, he must fight in a Nightmare Arena until he earns his freedom to live in the “new world” that exists only in the mind.

Then he finds a way to manipulate the Nightmare—to change it by mere thought.

Forced to navigate a world of nightbeasts, mistblades, and half-truths, Cain turns his focus to survival. When the Emperor offers him a LifeSuPod—and access to a cure—in exchange for a dangerous favor, Cain thinks he’s found a way out. But Cain’s new power threatens to take him on paths that jeopardize his very soul.

Will he continue searching for a cure, or will he swear allegiance to the Nightmare? And the bigger question might be…will he even have a choice?

Now for the Cover Reveal!

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The countdown to July has begun!

Blood Secrets ~ Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal for Morgan L. Busse's Blood Secrets

the second book in the Skyworld Duology

Not everyone wants to see the world saved . . .

Time is running out. Cities are being engulfed in the Mist and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Theo believes he has found a way to stop mankind from Turning, but he doesn’t know how to alter Cass’s unique blood into a cure. Or if it can even be done.

Meanwhile, Cass struggles with the idea that she is possibly the savior of the world—a world she is not sure is worth saving.

From the Winchester manse to the steel city of Decadenn, there is something more chasing Cass than the House of Lords or the masked man who can walk in the Mist. Soon she must decide if she will use her blood to save mankind or let those who only care about themselves perish.

Pre-order https://amzn.to/3H7ias5

Secrets in the Mist ~ Review

Secrets in the Mist

Skyworld #1

By Morgan L. Busse

The Mist rules their world - for years it has been feared altering those touched by it into something horrific. The Touched are to be feared - no longer living yet walking carriers of the Mist.

Cass managed to avoid the Purge that took her parents, but life is hard scavenging to find enough to live on. But living further up the mountain is not for the likes of her as she has been reminded on more than one occasion. But Cass longs for something more than mere existence which she gets when she gets caught aboard the airship Daedalus. Offered a job as a diver Cass has a decision to make - one that would raise her above the clouds and offer her hope. But this choice comes with great danger as she would go into the Mist and face the unknown dangers that lurk within it.

The Mist has given the Five Families that rule from sky islands great power over all who live on the lands beneath. Lands that have limited space and even fewer resources.  When the population of the lowest grows they order the Purge to slow the demand on resources and doom those cast into the Mist of an existence as one of the Touched.

Theodore Winchester wants to stop the Mist. But no one wants to help him prove that the Mist can be stopped or altered. When his questions threaten the very foundations of his world he has to decide what he will do. Delve for answers that may cost him his life? Or close off his mind and embrace a life of power and privilege instead?

When long held secrets are revealed a course is set and the fate of the world and humanity hangs in the balance. 

If you are a fan of Dystopian or Steampunk fiction you will have to read Secrets in the Mist as it combines the best of both for a page-turning experience you don't want to miss. And as this is the open book of a new series you'll want, no you'll need to be ready for when book 2 releases. This is one of those can't-put-it-down books and believe me putting it down is not easy. You will want to stay up all night reading it and the sleep depravation is well worth it! The characters, the setting, pacing - everything is a perfect world to get lost in - but beware the Mist...

I was provided a complimentary pre-release copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

What’s lurking in the Mist is the least of their worries…

In a world where humanity lives in the sky to escape a deadly mist below, Cass’s only goal is survival. That is, until she finds a job on the airship Daedalus as a diver. Now she explores ruined cities, looking for treasure and people’s lost heirlooms until a young man hires her to find the impossible: a way to eradicate the Mist.

Theodore Winchester is a member of one of the Five Families that rule the skies. Following in his father’s footsteps, he searches for the source of the Mist and hopes to stop the purges used to control overpopulation. But what he finds are horrifying secrets and lethal ambition. If he continues his quest, it could mean his own death.

The Mist is rising and soon the world will be enveloped in its deadly embrace, turning what's left of humanity into the undead.