Monday, June 16, 2014

"Secrets of the Makai" Series by Toni Kerr

Secrets of the Makai Series
by Toni Kerr



Descendant is the first book in the Secrets of the Makai series. Unleashed, the second book in the series, has just been released.

Descendant
(Secrets of the Makai Book 1)
by Toni Kerr


Description
For 15 years, Tristan has tried to cope with hearing the thoughts of others. But that was child's play compared to what he must do now. When an old woman appears with a murderer hot on her trail, Tristan is thrust into a world of trickery and manipulation.
With secret societies tracking his every move, Tristan must find the possessed emerald he was destined to protect and learn to control powers he never knew he had. Only, Tristan never was any good at doing what he was supposed to and the consequences for screwing up now could cost him everything he's grown to love.

Excerpt
Tristan kept his head down, sifting through the drowning mix of thoughts bombarding him from the line of school buses. Students flooded the sidewalk before him. He searched the crowd and spotted the freshman girl he'd been waiting for, pulled out a pack of gum from his pocket, and fell into step behind her.
The girl stopped long enough to stuff her chewed gum into the roaring mouth of the school's mascot - a large cement lion perched at the base of the front steps.
Don't clean it off. Her mental voice continued on, begging the maintenance man to give them all a chance to cover the lion completely. It was her idea, a way for the students to protest the latest 'no gum in school' rule.
The girl spun around just as Tristan moved to slip the pack of gum into her backpack, forcing him to hand it to her instead. "Don't give up," he said.
"What are you talking about?" She eyed the pack of gum, then the statue. You're the one who's been sneaking us gum?
Tristan hesitated. It wouldn't hurt his plans if she knew, but he didn't have time to discuss it. Especially if she ended up asking how he figured out she was in charge, or who'd told him. He took a step back to let students flow between them and crossed 'gum' off his mental list.
The school towered above him like a brick slaughterhouse. He took in a breath and let the students herd him inside.
Last day, he reminded himself, pulling one of two sealed envelopes from his back pocket.

Featured Review
I loved this book. It was a refreshing change of pace for me to read a book with a male protagonist. The characters felt real and I loved watching Tristan work through his issues with his telepathy … and then get to learn some kick-ass skills with his other powers. I really loved watching him spar with Dorian and the ending battle was just epic. This book had a little of everything for me: suspense, action scenes, some cool powers flying about, a touch of romance, and a lot of crazy stuff going on in the background building up for the next few books that I can’t wait to find out what happens next! I definitely recommend, especially if you have boys who are looking for a good read.

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Unleashed
(Secrets of the Makai Book 2)
by Toni Kerr


Description
Tristan can't wait to get to Darnell - a place where people have similar powers to his own and won't know about the horrific events that led to being exiled from his previous home. Unfortunately, they do know, and so does Lazaro, a ruthless man determined to regain possession of the powerful emerald Tristan stole.
And Lazaro isn't the only one on a quest for Tristan's blood.
A secret society of overzealous dragon slayers believes Tristan is a worthy target to hunt. When he is captured and put on trial for being an abomination to mankind, his continued denial of dragon ancestry won't keep him safe for long. The Slayers have been hunting for generations, and in a private museum of artifacts and past conquests, Tristan discovers a handful of gems akin to the emerald and a new mission - if he can survive long enough to escape captivity.
But then ... no amount of protection or denial can save him from himself.


Excerpt
Silence shrouded the island. And loneliness. Tristan pulled the scent of pine and warm earth into his most precious memories, drawing his knees against his chest. The lake in the valley below seemed cut off from the world; cut off from any breeze that might tempt the surface; cut off from any current beneath. Unnatural.
Was it possible to stay and go at the same time? The island itself called to something within him, but the people, Dorian especially, wanted nothing to do with him. So he’d pack up his things and leave as requested and make no trouble, just like he’d always done his entire life. Movement is the natural order of things.
The tips of trees stood eye-level from this mountaintop viewpoint. He searched the branches for the falcon, unseen since escaping Ireland.
Ignorance really is bliss.
A gentle wind swirled through the mirrored reflections on the water, bringing a smile to Tristan’s lips. This he would remember - Dorian’s lake in motion. Not the untouched, mournfully still version.
Maybe being exiled didn’t mean he couldn’t come back once in a while. If she had time and wanted to see him. Doubtful. The island was hers, not his. He could never claim it as home, no matter how true it felt. Nothing lasts forever.

Featured Review
Well done to the author.
The first book suffered a bit on takeoff but this follow up book flies.
I particularly like that the bromance took precedence over the obligatory hetero love interest. Here is to hoping that the author continues with her extremely unique tale.

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About the Author
Toni Kerr lives with her husband, two dangerously creative children, and a fabulous Australian Shepherd in the Pacific Northwest. She loves the outdoors, horses, the high desert, Photoshop, music, salty things, and writing in the wee hours of morning when all is silent.




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