Blog Tour: Fractured Soul by Rachel McClellan

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Title: Fractured Soul 

Author: Rachel McClellan
Publisher:  Cedar Fort
Publishing Date: February 12th 2013

Pages: 336
Genre:  YA Contemporary Fantasy/Urban Fantasy

Series: Fractured Light #2
Source: Kindle Version provided by Dark World Books

  

Llona will do whatever it takes to protect her new found friends and home, but the dark plot that is threatening Lucent Academy, a school that’s supposed to be a safe place for Auras, may be too powerful for even Llona to defeat. This fast-paced tale of love, loyalty, and overcoming the darkness will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page!....

I was really excited to get to the next installment of this series. The first book's ending left many questions and I couldn't wait to see what happens next in Llona's life. I love the cover and the title of this book, it fits in with the first book and it also represents the story well. I really enjoyed the book, maybe even slightly more than the first book.

Llona has left her home, left Christian, and joined the other Auras at Lucent Academy. The only thing to keep Llona feeling good about the transition, May, her best friend,  is going with her. She enters the academy with mix feelings and she doesn't get a warm welcoming from other students. She is behind in Aura history and many other things, and she hasn't quite been herself. She is restless, her senses are stronger, and she wants to fight. There is something going on, not just with her but with the school too. Vykens seem to be everywhere and it is very obvious that someone is hiding something. 

This book was pretty darn cool. Action packed, full of suspense, and filled with surprises. I was glued from the beginning all the way to the end. The writing and the pacing flow nicely, and the plot awesome. The story continues pretty much exactly from where the first book ends. I love it when I don't miss any in betweens. I loved the characters too. 

I think one of the things that really grabbed me with the second book is the way the book takes off instantly from the last book but is almost a new story, a new part of Llona's life. There was so much going on with the plot, and I knew from the very beginning something seemed off. There were lots of twists and secrets and betrayal, even more than the first book, that I couldn't put the book down. 

Another thing I liked, the characters and the relationships. I love Llona, May, and Christian. They are all so great. I really think I could go on and on about their goodness all day, but I will keep it short. 

Llona is a very strong character. She loves to fight her own battles, think on her own, and she doesn't take everything for what it seems. She questions and she finds answers. She does have her short comings,  like now asking for help, but her strengths really do out do her weaknesses. 

Christian is just smexy and charming and all boy. I really like him and love the part he plays in the story. He is a great love interest and his relationship with Llona is real and sweet and wonderful. 

May is awesome! She is a wonderful friend, spunky, sweet, devoted, and just all around cool. 

I think that the relationships, romantic, family, and friendship, in this book just add so much and they are done very right in my book. 

The last thing I want to mention... the fight scenes, the action, all the butt kicking. I am not one who normally likes bunches of battles throughout my stories, but the scenes in this book are just right. I was able to follow along with what was happening, see it in my head, and cheer cheer cheer. I normally skim fight scenes, but in this book, I actually read them as slowly as possible (really hard when lots of action is going on) paid attention to the details, and enjoyed them. 

I really like this series, the second book just got better and I can't wait for the next installment. If you like modern fantasy, pick this series up!

“FRACTURED SOUL” EXCERPT:

After a minute I peeked around the trunk. Not far away a form moved in and out of the shadows. I couldn’t sense if the thing was Vyken or human, but the moment it stepped into the light of the full moon, and I saw its face, I knew it was a Vyken. And by its slender form, I guessed a woman, but I couldn’t tell by the face, which was missing half of its leathered skin. The other half was a rotted skull with a green, moss-like substance clinging to the cheekbone. The bone was a dirty yellow, the same color as her two rows of broken teeth.

She looked around and sniffed like she was searching for something. Her eyes jerked to the tree I was hiding behind. I ducked farther behind it and held my breath, my heart pounding and sweat breaking on my brow. Any other day I would’ve jumped at the chance to fight, but I was still too afraid of what Liam had told me and of what I already knew. Was I seeing my future?

“I smell you, Aura,” the woman said. Her voice was deep and raspy.

I left my hiding spot and ran as fast as I could, crashing through the forest, arms outstretched. I pushed my already exhausted legs hard as I hurdled over, under, and around what felt like an Amazon jungle.

The Vyken chased after me, making a strange sound with her throat, almost like a pig grunting. I looked back at her and saw that the sound was from the wind moving between exposed cords on her neck where there was no skin. The sight and sound of her made me find a second wind, and I sped up.

Bursting through a tall bush, I moved to take a step but found nothing but air. I fell, more like bounced, end over end down a steep hill. I didn’t stop moving until I landed in cold water. I sucked in air and quickly stood up. In front of me was a lake the size of a football field. Moonlight stretched across it like a lit-up road. I looked around. Other than a steep incline around the water’s edge, most of which was covered in trees and bushes, there was no easy way around it.

I thought about climbing back up the hill, but even as I thought it, I heard the female Vyken coming closer. Having no other choice, I moved farther into the cold water until, once again, my foot found no ground beneath me. A sharp drop-off plunged me into the water. I gasped at the shock of it and swam backward to keep my eyes on the top of the ridge.

Just then the hunched-over female appeared. I took a deep breath and dipped beneath the water’s surface. A few feet away I spotted a branch attached to a fallen tree lying at the bottom of the lake. I swam over and took hold of it to keep me from floating up.

Through the clear water, I could just barely make out the Vyken’s form as she made her way down the incline. When she reached the water’s edge, she paused and scanned the surface. After a moment, she turned and began to move back up the hill. Just in time too because my lungs were burning.

I was about to push up when all of a sudden she stopped and turned back around. I bit the insides of my cheek to keep from instinctively taking in a breath.

She returned to the water’s edge, and what she did next had me frantically looking around for an escape. Her black boot slid onto the water’s surface, and as soon as it touched it, the water beneath her foot turned to ice. Another step. More ice. An ice bridge was being created wherever she moved. Ten more steps and she’d be standing directly above me.

Although I was terrified, my lungs no longer cared. I let go of the tree branch and began to float up, but just as I was about to break the surface and gasp for air, something took hold of my ankle and pulled me down.

Rachel McClellan was born and raised in Idaho, a place secretly known for its supernatural creatures. When she’s not in her writing lair, she’s partying with her husband and four crazy, yet lovable, children. Rachel’s love for storytelling began as a child when the moon first possessed the night. For when the lights went out, her imagination painted a whole new world. And what a scary world it was…
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