Holy cliffhanger, Batman! This hauntingly beautiful story will leave you wanting more, especially with that massive cliffhanger you fall off at the end. I started getting very nervous when my Kindle was telling me I only had a few minutes left and the story did not seem like it was about to be resolved!

About the Book

Liliana is shocked to find a dying man in the middle of the forest, surrounded by the remains of a brutal fight. She brings him home to her father’s farm to nurse him back to health. However, when the stranger regains consciousness, he doesn’t remember who he is or how he came to be there.

Intrigued by the mystery of it all, Liliana sets out to discover who this handsome, well-mannered stranger is. Could he be the man who whisks her away and shows her the world out there? Or will whatever happened in the forest put her and everyone she loves in grave danger?

My Thoughts

This is a very character-driven fantasy tale that edges into horror, but not in a way that I couldn’t handle it – which is good because I’m a big ol’ scaredy cat. We haven’t had the chance to talk about that because I stay away from horror books.

I always forget that monster-type books fit into fantasy. Vampires and werewolves and zombies don’t seem like they fit into the same world as the beautiful elves and high fantasy settings of Lord of the Rings or similar, but alas, they are the same genre. There are probably subgenres that make this very different. This one feels like a visit to the times of “Frankenstein” or the witch trials. It reminded me a little of “Beauty and the Beast” for some reason, though I couldn’t exactly put my finger on why.

The author’s writing was beautiful. I highlighted so many passages it was difficult to pick a few quotes as my favorite. I always love it when that happens. I really shows me after I’ve finished just how beautiful and impactful the prose was. Or sometimes how funny. Even, sometimes, both, which did happen in this story. It featured some darkly humourous bits that I definitely appreciated.

This story had some tragic turns that made me grab for the tissues. Like many fantasy books, it touches on a lot of hard subjects and addresses social issues while weaving an interesting, surprising tale. So, it’s not a light story by any means, so make sure you’re in the right mindset before diving in. From the start, though, I needed to know what was going on. The mystery of who the stranger, El, was, needed to be answered. I’m always a sucker for a good mystery.

And, a heck of a cliffhanger. Grr!! Love it. But also hate it!

I am so grateful to the author and Love Books Tours for including me in this tour. It is such a lovely, haunting book that I am pleased to have read. I look forward to reading more by the author.

Question of the Day

Have you read any good books where amnesia played a big role?

Who’s It For?

Anyone who loves monster fantasy books will love this. Fantasy with light horror and romantic elements. But there are some difficult/graphic scenes, so be mindful of that.

Content Warnings: Violent Death, Adult Situations, Poverty, Classism, Sexism, Pregnancy, Religion/Religious Iconography, SI, Abortion/Miscarriage

About the Author

I grew up in a village not far from the Swiss Alps, surrounded by forest, streams, meadows and mountains. Nowadays I live in Wales with my husband and my wonderful daughter. There are always ideas for characters and stories floating around in my head, so it was only a matter of time before I managed to capture some of them and spellbind them onto paper.

After a few curio fiction short stories, I am now in the process of publishing my first fantasy series, packed with magical powers, romance and intrigue.

Links
Amazon US: https://a.co/d/jlVBLMb
Bookshop US: https://bookshop.org/a/25511/9781738505012
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/cI9v3u6
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208633807-a-tale-of-something-new
Author Website: www.ataleofbooks.com

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