Gwen Hensley, elemental witch, is ripped from the fairytale of small town life and her undead, wolf familiar, Sebastian. She is called to work undercover for a ruling fate, Greta, to locate another missing elder amid the chaos and politics at witch’s council. The guise of ambassador for the undead seemed a natural cover, but puts her in a precarious position when her peace and power captivate the … the realm master, Dmitry.
The danger posed by Nikolay, a vampire uneasy with his master bringing a witch into the inner circle, forces her to draw on powers that make her even more prized and dangerous to their kind. When Dmitry marks her as his mistress the subjugation starts her on a new, darker path. Her attention is pulled between the undead and finding the missing elder, which seem interlaced. The more she finds out investigating council, the more she doubts that she can trust anyone, especially those in power.
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Gwen’s journey takes a turn into the darkness in this second installment in the Elemental Witch Trials series. As an envoy between the vampires and the humans, Gwen is on a mission to search out who is responsible for witch Paulette’s death. Her journey takes her deeper into the world of vampires, sending her on such a dangerous trail that she must question the motives of everyone around her. Despite it all, she learns that vampires aren’t the only evil that endangers her. Witches can be evil too.
Gwen seemed a lot more strongly written in this second book. She doesn’t cower or give up. Even when she is hurt by the people she loves, she fights back. I also loved the new characters introduced in this story and the way the author set up the book for part three. Great stuff!
This book is not for the faint of heart. It takes you into the depths of the cold, harsh world of vampires. A world filled with hate, anger, power, manipulation, and punishment for those who even consider to disobey vampires. It has great character descriptions, and the plot is dark, going beyond the search for a missing witch. If you want to get a “true” sense of the nature of vampires, you’ll want to read this book.
Instead of following straight on, this book seems to take a left turn. This isn’t a bad thing, just unexpected. The story stays with Gwen, but is as much about vampires as it is witches and their familiars. Gwen is growing as a witch, and as a person, but so is the danger she is facing. New and interesting characters are introduced as well as a new mystery. My questions from the first book have not yet been answered, but I am expecting this delay will lead to a great build-up and final confrontation in later books and that the first two in the series are laying the necessary groundwork.
Though this is book 2 in a series and you get more out of it if you read book 1 first, the story is good enough for it to stand on its own, which is rare for a book which is part of a series. I’ve already purchased books 3 and 4 and am looking forward to reading them
This is a richly woven world that the author introduces. The mix of supernatural races living side by side, each with their own customs and secrets. Gwen navigates this strange realm somewhat reluctantly as she tries to find a missing witch. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but the author does a good job with their individual characterizations. I love how the world became more intricate as the story developed and the darkness of the tale. I also loved that Gwen wasn’t your typical kickass demon fighter with unrealistic all conquering powers. I like a good dollop of realism within my fantasy worlds. Not every hero has to go to it willingly and find they are a natural superhero after the first kick. So I thank the author for this refreshing take
From the first pages of Burning Captivation, we are introduced into the dark world of vampires. Sebastian’s easygoing nature is not seen in this cutthroat underworld Gwen has found herself immersed in. Gwen seems to be a magnet for uncomfortable situations as she investigates a missing person case, rather than a murder like we saw in the first book in this series. The introduction of the witches’ and vampires’ worlds are intriguing, getting glimpses of how they govern themselves with possibly more regulations than us mere mortals. The action and tension keeps you reading all the way to the end, although it doesn’t have the happily ever after…or does it? I look forward to reading the next book, Fateful Attractions, to find out what happens next!
Intense and Fascinating. As the second book in the series, you will be blown away by this amazing story. The beauty in this second book is how we go deeper into the psyche of the characters and how it also gets more intense. Gwen faces danger and I admired her instinct and how she reacted to what was thrown at her. Dark creatures are getting near and it makes this book a page turner.