Author: Diana Pharaoh Francis
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Horngate Witches #2
Where did I get this book?: Bought it for my own pleasure reading.
Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Published December 28, 2010 by Pocket
Book can be purchased on Amazon.com
Summary (via Goodreads):
THERE ARE GOOD GUYS. THERE ARE BAD GUYS. AND THEN THERE’S MAX.
Max knows what trusting the wrong person can cost you. Her former friend Giselle, a powerful witch, enslaved Max years ago, turning her into a Shadowblade—a deadly warrior compelled to fight for Giselle. But there’s more at stake now than Max’s thirst for revenge. The Guardians, overseers of the magical world, have declared war on humanity and on any witches not standing with them. Max and Giselle have come to an uneasy truce in order to protect what’s left of Horngate, their coven’s home. Max would do anything for Horngate—even give herself over to a mysterious otherworldly creature in the nearby mountains in exchange for his help. But first, she intends to save the mortal family she left behind. And Alexander, the Shadowblade warrior who could be her closest ally or her deadliest enemy, is going with her.
On a road trip into the unknown, Max and Alexander face wild magic, desperate enemies, and battles that bruise both body and soul. But the greatest challenge will come from unexpected revelations that test everything Max believes about who she is—and where her loyalties lie. . .
My thoughts: Crimson Wind, is the second installment in the Horngate Witches series. The book picks up four weeks after the events from the previous book, Bitter Night. Max, Giselle, and the other shadowblades and sunspears are rebuilding their coven after being attacked by the guardians. On top on rebuilding the coven, max has become sleep deprive. Every time Max closes her eyes the creature “Scooter”, that lives underneath Horngate keeps trying to take her in her sleep. Scooter keeps on mentioning that Max is his “gift”, which no one knows what that means. Scooter then shows Max a glimpse of her human family in danger, and gives her about a week to retrieve them before he pulls her back to him (he attaches something to her arm, which is like an invisible leash). Max sets out to save her family with Alexander of all people to keep her watch her back and make sure that she comes back alive.
Crimson Wind, is an excellent addition to the series and even better than the first! The book captured my attention right away. The book opens up with Max having another dream, where Scooter is trying to take her away and shortly after that Max goes out to retrieve her family. There’s never a boring moment in the book, it’s jammed packed with nonstop action. The chemistry between Max and Alexander is scorching! I love their interaction as they try to fight their attraction to one another. The secondary characters such as the shadowblades (warriors who can only go out in the night time) and sunspears (warriors who can only go out in the day time) are a joy to read. They have a great sense of humor, are fiercely loyal, and all have their own distinct personalities. If you’re interested in looking for a new urban fantasy with a strong heroine, and an amazing cast of characters look no further. This series will need to be read in order to get the full effect of the great world building and characters. The order of the books are as follows; Bitter Night, Crimson Wind and Shadow City. Many other readers felt like this book had nothing to do with the first book, that it was a filler book but I disagree. The book gives us another perspective into Max’s life besides her being a shadowblade prime (leader of the shadowblades) and we get to meet her family and learn more about her.
I highly recommend this series to all urban fantasy fans. If you haven’t read this series, you’re really missing out! This is a truly great sequel and I can’t wait to get my hands on the third book, Shadow City.
Crimson Wind, is an excellent addition to the series and even better than the first! The book captured my attention right away. The book opens up with Max having another dream, where Scooter is trying to take her away and shortly after that Max goes out to retrieve her family. There’s never a boring moment in the book, it’s jammed packed with nonstop action. The chemistry between Max and Alexander is scorching! I love their interaction as they try to fight their attraction to one another. The secondary characters such as the shadowblades (warriors who can only go out in the night time) and sunspears (warriors who can only go out in the day time) are a joy to read. They have a great sense of humor, are fiercely loyal, and all have their own distinct personalities. If you’re interested in looking for a new urban fantasy with a strong heroine, and an amazing cast of characters look no further. This series will need to be read in order to get the full effect of the great world building and characters. The order of the books are as follows; Bitter Night, Crimson Wind and Shadow City. Many other readers felt like this book had nothing to do with the first book, that it was a filler book but I disagree. The book gives us another perspective into Max’s life besides her being a shadowblade prime (leader of the shadowblades) and we get to meet her family and learn more about her.
I highly recommend this series to all urban fantasy fans. If you haven’t read this series, you’re really missing out! This is a truly great sequel and I can’t wait to get my hands on the third book, Shadow City.
