Knight Angels: Book of Revenge - Abra Ebner - Blog Tour Review

Task One: Kill Her

"I glanced at Jane, thinking of Avery once again. Avery had been my attempt to fit in with their world and accept my fate. Jane had been my reason to leave it, and find purpose within my seemingly endless life..."

Title: Book of Revenge (Knight Angels #2)

Author: Abra Ebner

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Crimson Oak Publishing

Publication Date: October 2010

Source: Received from author courtesy of Teen Book Scene. Many thanks goes to both Abra Ebner and Kari from Teen Book Scene for sending me this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. This review is part of the official Knight Angels: Book of Revenge blog tour.

My rating: 4/5

Knight Angels: Book of Revenge picks up where Book of Love left off. It is just a few days later, and everyone is heading back to school. However certain side characters are revealed now in a different light, and come more to the forefront. There are also a few other new characters, Avery for one. She has a past history with Max and is jealous of his relationship with Jane. She'll do anything to get revenge. Wes and Emily are working out the kinks in their relationship as Wes is having a hard time with Emily knowing everything he even thinks. Things become more interesting for the two of them when several new characters arrive and complicate matters. 
Book of Revenge continues with the narration changing between the four friends, Jane, Max, Emily and Wes. Though there are no chapter headings in this installment either, the book continues at a swift pace with a sense of urgency maintained throughout. It was interesting seeing what certain characters knew before others, and how it affected the group dynamics. 
With four characters narrating the story one would be worried that the story line would get lost, or further confuse readers, however that is not the case. Each voice is distinct in this installment, as well as the previous one, and I found that I enjoyed this volume more. I also found myself more in suspense with this one as I didn't know what would happen in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending of this book as it wasn't what I expected and it leaves things wide open for the next volume in the series. More questions arise, and I can't wait to read how things are resolved. I really hope we get to see more of the new characters, and can't wait to see what is in store for them all. 
All in all, a strong follow up to Book of Love. I can't express how much I enjoyed this novel, and the situations the characters found themselves in. I really can't wait to find out what Ebner has up her sleeve for Jane, Max, Emily and Wes, as things have been amped up for them. If you haven't read Book of Revenge I urge you to give it a read as the new characters bring more to the story. 

Knight Angels: Book of Love - Abra Ebner

"WHO ARE YOU?" I ASKED.

THE NOTHINGNESS WHISPERED BACK.

"I AM DEATH."

When four teens enter Glenwood High, none of them knew the secrets they held were about to become their only defense.

Love, hate, and friendship now binds them, but what they don't yet know, is that this is just the beginning...

Death is calling them home. 

Title: Book of Love (Knight Angels #1)

Author: Abra Ebner

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Crimson Oak Publishing

Publication Date: April 26, 2010

Source: Own

My Rating: 4/5

When Jane sees Max for the first time in the halls of Glenwood High, she is immediately drawn to him. What she doesn't know is that he has a secret, and can help her with hers. Ever since she almost died in the car accident that took her father's life, she has had horrible dreams. Dreams of death and those about to die. She hasn't told anyone; not her best friend, Wes, or her sister, Emily. Jane and Max aren't the only ones keeping secrets though, and they'll have to rely on each other to figure out what is happening to and with each of them. When Max's nemesis, and brother, Greg shows up, things get a little more complicated.

Book of Love is narrated mainly through four of the characters, Jane, Max, Wes, and Emily. Some of the side characters have a few pages written from their point of view as well, but they are few and far between. The format of the book is not set up in chapter form, it carries on through the different characters when the voice switches. Each of the characters are established readily and their voices are distinctive. It was quite easy to follow along and keep up with the different voices as the characters were so well defined. The narrative style chosen worked well as we saw how the characters viewed each other, and themselves. It gave a well-balanced view of all of the different characters, and showed us how they might have seen each other, and what they might have misconstrued as well. 

Without chapters, the plot could have become convoluted, but that was not the case with this book. The plot flowed fluently through the voices of each of the main characters. It didn't falter when changing view points.

The characters themselves were written quite well. Jane is supposed to be the main character, but she shares the spotlight with Max. She is a character that I liked immediately, and then distanced myself from a bit. She's always been the responsible one, and is always looking after her sister Emily. When we read from Emily's point of view we see that though Jane may be the responsible one, she also treats Emily with callous disregard. She is more wrapped up in what is going on in her life that she doesn't take an interest in what is going on in Emily's life, or for that matter, Wes' life. 

Emily and Wes both have their own problems that they are sorting through, so it was neat to see how they interacted and reacted to everything that was thrown at them. I found that I really enjoyed their characters as well as they seemed to be more developed, and surprisingly more mature at times than Jane.

Max and Greg are opposites, which might not be a good thing as they are both angels. Their destinies are intertwined due to the fact that they are twin brothers. Their personalities are at odds with each other, and it was interesting to see how they pushed each other, knowing that they could only push so far.

All in all, Book of Love captures the lives of four teenagers and the supernatural abilities that they are growing into, or are learning to control. This book has something for everyone as it deals with angels, shapeshifters, and a whole other realm of beings. A promising start to what looks to be a great series. Whose side will you take? 

Blog Tour: Knight Angels: Book of Revenge - Abra Ebner - Excerpt

I'd like to welcome Abra Ebner here today. This is one author that I have been wanting to read ever since I heard about her! Today's tour post features an excerpt from Knight Angels: Book of Revenge. To learn more about the author and her works, you can visit her website here. You can also follow along with the rest of the tour here. 

Emily:

I woke in the dark of my room. “Wes?”

No one answered me.

I threw the coverlet off of me, sweat coating my body. My stomach growled with hunger after skipping dinner, and as hard as I tried to remember how I got home, I couldn’t.

Sitting up, I felt weak, drained—craving. Not only was I hot, but my room was humid, a strange thing for Colorado. I slowly stood and walked to the window, pulling the blinds and cranking it open. I let the cool night air stream in and across my face. Sighing with tired eyes, I thought I was seeing things as a shadow moved outside, ducking behind the bend of the house. My brows pressed together, squinting in the direction but seeing nothing. A dreadful shiver broke across my skin, making me think of Greg. I leaned further out the window, trying to crane my neck around the corner, trying to convince myself that what I’d seen was nothing, perhaps just the cat.

“Emily?”

I jumped, my grip slipping from the window frame. A firm hand grabbed me just before I tumbled forward out the window, pulling me back in. I thrashed against the contact, nearly screaming before another hand clasped over my mouth. His skin was cold and sizzling, like ice thrown on a fire. He let go once I was safely rooted back inside the room. I spun to face the intruder.

“Emily, it’s just me.” Max loomed over me in the dark, hands in the air. His palms were blistered from touching me.

“What just happened?” I demanded.

Max’s hands healed before my eyes. He dropped them. “The lingering snake venom in your blood. It does that.”

“What are you doing here?” I hissed, shrugging away the chill of that feeling against my skin.

He knelt to my level to whisper. “I just heard you open the window. I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“I’m fine,” I crossed my arms over my chest, remembering that I didn’t have much more than a t-shirt on. “You’re supposed to be watching Jane, not me.”

Max grinned. “You’re a part of Jane. So I watch you, too.” He said it in a very obsessive fashion.

I snorted. “It’s all you think of, seriously. Get a hobby. Jane, Jane, Jane,” I mocked. His mind was all about it since the first day I’d seen him.

Max shrugged and turned away from me, not giving into my attempts to fight. “Goodnight, Emily.”

Just as quickly as he had appeared he was gone, a shadowy smoke dissipating in the air he once occupied.

The room had cooled now, so I shut the window, being sure to fasten the lock. I glanced once more outside by the corner of the house; there was nothing there. I gave up and climbed back in bed, twisting under the covers to get comfortable. Resting on my side, I noticed that the stuffed animals that once sat in the chair across the room had been rearranged onto the floor. They sat in a semicircle, perfectly placed, but not by me. I lifted my head from the pillow, my heart jumping. The chair they were once in was empty, but a part of me believed it hadn’t been that way long. I swallowed, slowly crawling back out of bed and approaching the chair, warily keeping an eye on the stuffed animals at my feet. I pressed my hand against the fabric of the seat—it was cold, too cold…

Greg cold…"

© Copyright by Abra Ebner 

Now, doesn't that make you want to pick up the book as soon as possible? It sounds so good! Thank you, Abra, for being here today and for allowing me to post this excerpt for you!