BLOG TOUR BLITZ: ARC Review--Of Flame and Light by Cecy Robson

Taran Wird holds the unique ability to conjure fire and lightning. She is mated to Gemini, Second in Command to the Squaw Valley Pack of the Lake Tahoe Region, and the sole werewolf to possess the ability to split into two wolves. And although they are mates, Taran's insecurities have driven them apart.

Devastated by an injury that left her with a zombie-like limb, Taran struggles to regain command over her magic. But when her arm and her power turn against her, lashing out on those she most loves, she knows she can no longer carry this burden alone. Not that she likes the alternative.

The only way to regain control of her magic is to align and learn from the local coven of witches―the very ones who sought to banish her when she and her three unique sisters first moved to the mystical region. But although Taran is trying, the teachings don't come easy, and the tasks leave her weak and emotionally shattered.

Yet Taran must learn and learn fast. Time is running out. The fire she once mastered so easily has become her greatest adversary and is now slowly burning her alive . . .

I received this eARC from the Tasty Book Tours, for being a part of the blog tour and for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


I have been a big fan of Cecy Robson’s Weird Girls series from the beginning! I’ve enjoyed watching Celia’s story arc develop and now it’s Taran’s turn! Though she did get a spin with Of Flame and Promise, now here in Of Flame and Light, her story continues and best yet, I don’t think she’s done yet!

Taran has had a rough go of things lately. She lost her arm, and when it was magically replaced it started acting oddly. So oddly that it seemed to drive Gemini away from her and thus putting an end to their blooming relationship and shattering the hearts of readers everywhere!! Her arm seems to have a mind or power of its own causing bright flares to happen sporadically and without her control. If she doesn’t learn to control it soon, well things might not turn out so good. And things get worse when Genevieve—the witch clan leader—decides Taran might be a problem for the supernatural community at large. Taran is tasked with finding a rogue witch and “taking care of her” or else she will be forced to join Genevieve’s school for witches and start out at bottom rank.

The enemy is the rogue witch Savana, but we don’t get to see much of her. When Taran and her sisters with Bren in tow, fail to kill her the first time, Taran is forced to join the witch school and try to learn to control her powers. And as you might already know, Taran doesn’t do well with authority figures. Needless to say her school adventures are quite…entertaining! There was even a moment where she was "taking a test" and it seriously brought up my Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire feels! It felt eerily similar to one of Harry's challenges, yet still different enough to not feel exactly the same! But the nostalgic feels that came about made me smile!

I guess I was really surprised by the lack of involvement from our villainess. She had her “introductory” moment when Taran and Co. first tried to take her out and then she’s pretty much absent from the story until the final few chapters when the Showdown is about to commence. I just thought that she would have more involvement in antagonizing our heroine. Though that’s not to say Taran isn’t dealing with antagonizers. She’s getting plenty of that from Genevieve—in a roundabout way—and fellow students.

And then there’s the whole mess with Gemini. Taran is still hurt from the way he rejected her and her new arm. Seeming him look away from the new limb caused her an unbearable pain that the one person she thought she could count on is basically disgusted by her. And truthfully, I could never figure out why Gemini would do this either. Especially since he tries very hard throughout the book to win Taran back, but yet never addressing the problem of her arm that came between them. And to make matters even worse, it seems Genevieve has a massive crush on Gemini and spends oodles of time with him since he’s the liaison between the witches and weres.

Besides a great dose of heavy tension, you might be thinking this will be one book without romance. And let me tell you, you’re wrong! There are a handful of swoony moments coupled with a different kind of tension altogether and of course, there’s one moment that’s definitely more smoldering than the rest! And of course we get to see other littler moments with Shayna and Koda and Aric and Celia, so it’s not a total loss on romance in this one.

I was really surprised by the little things that were going on with Emme. If I try to think back to last time (which you all know me and my memory) we saw the beginnings of this. And I won’t get into the details here, but throughout the book we see more sprinklings of it followed by a whopping surprise at the end! All I can say is that I really, really hope Emme gets a book soon!! I’d love to see what she’s thinking over everything! And hopefully with the next book we’ll get to see more of what’s going on with her as well!

You might have noticed I didn’t mention a particular someone. Misha! Sadly, Misha was pretty MIA for the entire book. He literally makes a brief appearance to help get Taran started on her next adventure!

Cecy brings us yet another incredible amazing and entertaining Weird Girls novel! It’s a delightful read filled with a good dose of humor, because, well, if you know Taran, you know she’s has a mouth on her that has a mind of its own! LOL! I truly love her outspoken behavior though! She says what’s she’s thinking and generally I am thinking it too, though not to the extreme. Though Taran is quite extreme in some ways too! That’s part of her appeal! I so can’t wait to see what her next adventure will be! And even more eager to know if we’ll be getting more Weird Girls books from Emme and Shayna too!

 

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

 
Of Flame and Light releases October 18, 2016

Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2016/08/of-flame-and-light-weird-girls-7-by.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31428827-of-flame-and-light

Goodreads Series Link https://www.goodreads.com/series/81434-weird-girls

Buy Links:      Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Flame-Light-Weird-Girls-Novel-ebook/dp/B01J0SCGE

B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/of-flame-and-light-cecy-robson/1124194240?ean=2940153407852
iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/of-flame-and-light/id1137611471?mt=11

Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/of-flame-and-light






About the Author:

 
Cecy Robson is a new adult and contemporary author of the Shattered Past series, the O’Brien Family novels and upcoming Carolina Beach novels, as well as the award-winning author of the Weird Girls urban fantasy romance series. A 2016 double nominated RITA®finalist for Once Pure and Once Kissed, Cecy is a recovering Jersey girl living in the South who enjoys carbs way too much, and exercise way too little. Gifted and cursed with an overactive imagination, you can typically find her on her laptop silencing the yappy characters in her head by telling their stories.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website:  http://www.cecyrobson.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Cecy.Robson.Author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cecyrobson

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6177334.Cecy_Robson

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Here's a sneak peek at the book:

I hurry forward when I realize I’m just standing there, gaping at them.

I don’t think I take more than a few steps when something crunches beneath the sole of my left boot. I think it’s a stick, but the sound seems off, especially since the ground is so moist. I lift my foot only to jump away.

“T, you coming?” Shayna calls when I don’t move.

“T?” she asks again.

I swallow hard, hoping I’m imagining things as they run back to me.

“What’s wrong?” Emme asks. Unlike Shayna who’s fired up for all the action about to go down, I can sense the worry in her voice.

“Bren . . .” I begin, pointing to the spot near my feet. “Is that a, um, toe?”

He cocks his head. “Nah.”

Emme places her hand over her heart and sighs. “Oh, good—”

“It’s a thumb,” he answers. He sniffs the air. “Right hand, male, and the poor bastard’s been dead a long time.” He looks ahead. “Yeah, this shit’s not good. Call it in, Shayna, but type it. Don’t use voice-to text.”

“Why, dude?” Shayna asks, reaching for her phone in her back pocket.

“Because I’m not sure how well this bitch can hear, or if she has other things listening for her,” he responds.

He motions ahead to a crow. It squawks twice in our direction and flutters away.

Shayna lifts her phone to show us the blank screen. “Phone’s dead, kids.” She quickly pockets it and places a handful of toothpicks in her palm. “I wouldn’t bother, Emme,” she adds when Emme reaches for her phone. I doubt any of our phones are working.”

“She’s right,” Bren says. He shoves his phone into the backpack Emme is carrying and peels off his white T-shirt.

“This keeps getting better and better,” I mutter.

Bren strips out of his jeans, leaving only his underwear and shit-kickers on. “Em, stay behind me,” he tells her. “Shayna, you’ve got the rear.”

Which leaves me in front of Shayna and the most protected. I’ll be honest, this helpless damsel in distress role does nothing for my morale.

I march ahead, forcing myself to snap out of the shock of finding some guy’s thumb, push aside my fear, and tap into my inner diva. I remember a little too late that my inner diva is louder and usually sashays in platform stilettos. I slow my steps, careful not to disturb the creepy things hiding in the bushes.

Let me be the first to tell you, woods are bullshit and top of the scales of the scary meter, second only to graveyards. It’s the reason so many horror movies are based here, and why I’m watching out for psychos with machetes lurking behind trees. But given our past experiences, where danger lurks, so do the dark ones. I’ve had my fill of alleyways, construction sites, abandoned structures, but especially these damn eerie woods!