When Sephy Sinclair is forced to sign a contract taking over her father’s business empire, she’s not happy. What she doesn’t know though, is that in having her Father’s legacy thrust upon her, she’s about to discover the secret lives of her parents, and most importantly that her lineage is steeped far deeper in ancient myth and magic than she ever anticipated. Journey, with Sephy, through The … through The Hollow and find yourself among the sinners of Mortaria, The Underworldian City ruled by a council of Gods made mortal. Here, she will seek sanctuary beneath a purple sun and vermillion sky, ruled by Haedes, a man broken beyond repair by an incident far too close to home.
Unfortunately for Sephy, it is Haedes alone who can teach her how to wield her newfound powers. Will he overcome his personal loss in time to save Sephy as she is hunted by the Demon Lords of Ancient, or will Sephy be used as a bargaining chip to bring Mortaria to its knees?
This book is perfect for those who love the style of Anne Rice, Jodi Picoult, and Angela Carter- including supernatural elements mixed in with high fantasy detail and stunning romantic storylines, which intertwine seamlessly to create a gothically dark otherworldly experience like no other.
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Oh My Word, that was an amazing book!
I loved the last trilogy, gave it 5 stars, but this book trumped that! I can’t give more than 5 stars, but man I’d love to! It’s so layered. The story had so many facets. Well-written, great pacing, great plot. It left me stunned, wanting more. Now!
My favorite book I’ve read so far this year! This was such an unexpected and exciting story, and it blindsided me in so many ways! I don’t know what I expected when I walked into it, but it far exceeded anything I could have imagined.
Sephy Sinclair is a strong, stubborn, passionate and tenacious heroine, everything that I want to see in a female lead character. She has so much fight and determination, and is haunted by not only her personal demons but apparently some real demons, also. It doesn’t take long for her to find out why she has all of this fun and adventure in her life. Then, Xion enters the picture, there to guard her as she faces her responsibilities on earth and guide her into the Hollows for sanctuary and to discover her birthright. But everything is not as it seems. Those who are trusted may be the ones who should be trusted the least. And those who are not trusted could be the ones to change the world as we see it.
Honestly, I this entire story, its premise and its characters, was so much more than mind-blowing. The characters were so full and complete that I couldn’t even hate the bad guys. They were staggeringly well-developed and the world this author built were absolutely stunning, both with such a three dimensional brilliance that reading this story was like stepping into a completely other world. And that ending still has me shaken. I am looking forward, on so many levels, to seeing where she takes this story. With this fantastic beginning, the rest of the story is going to be epic!
i honestly recommend this book ! I freaking loved it! sephy sounds like crazed sex addict and party hardy kinda gal yet strong minded and dont need a man to take care of her. cuz really she doesnt. Well her life changes the day she signs forms is the day she meets her security guard xion. secrets and pasts become to unravel and she has to fight to stay alive. There were intense moments and yup i am not gonna lie i cried and got dissapointed but there could be hope on the next book. Yup there is a cliffhanger be prepared. cant wait to dig in to the next book. this was one heck of a book and it is worth reading and you wont be dissapointed.
This was a fantastic story. Characters were great and No shortage on action
Sephy Sinclair is a spoiled heiress who just wants to relax and have fun after getting her degree. Her life becomes complicated when she finds an opal blade and gains strange powers. After defeating a terrifying wolf-creature, she is taken to the underworld, where she meets her father. She is in danger though, and attempts are constantly being made on her life. Will she ever be safe? Will she ever find herself?
I am not well-versed with mythology, so the universe of this book was a little overwhelming at times. There are so many characters to know! So many concepts and realms! Some of the names were vaguely familiar, and some of them were much different than expected (for example, Lucifer is female). The world building in this book is very well done. It’s clearly a very rich universe, and I know I will enjoy becoming more familiar with the characters (even if I don’t completely understand everything now.)
The characters make this book shine. Sephy starts out as a fairly unlikable character (she lives to drink, party, and hook up with random guys, and she avoids all responsibility as the heir to the Sinclair fortune) but she shows tremendous character growth throughout the story. Her personality makes more sense once we meet Hades, who is a truly entertaining character. I also enjoyed seeing how his character evolved after meeting Sephy. Both Xion and Jules are solid as a rock and very dependable. Lucifer was one of my favorites because she cares so much. I’ll be interested to learn more about her and Thane.
This is an exciting story with some nice twists! Mythology readers will enjoy this take on the gods, demi-gods, and titans!
Do you like fantasy stories that yank the emotions right out of you? Then run out and buy this book! Wait! Even better, go download it right now! This book is my favourite story from Kristy Nicolle to date. It follows 4 characters through some pretty heavy situations and we get to see and feel everything they do. Sephy (do not call me Persephone) Sinclaire is a bad ass heroine with firey red hair and an attitude to match. Xion is the bad boy who wants to be oh so good. Luce has a bad rap but a good heart. Pandora is filled with rage but also patience – strange bedfellows to be sure.
All of these characters change and grow throughout the story very well. With each glimpse into their psyche we see more and more of their complex make-up. They seem like real people with real human (or God like) emotions. This is a testament to Kristy Nicolle’s talent as a writer. Kirsty must have taken great care to give each of her characters a tremendous backstory, I do not think they would have felt as real otherwise.
Kristy also excels at world building and I was not disappointed with the Opal Blade. Kristy was able to make Mortaria feel like a real place. Her descriptions of the buildings and environment made the world live in my imagination. What I like most about Kirsty’s world building is how it flows. We don’t just get a description of the city all at once. Each time one of the characters travels throughout the city we get to experience a little more. We get to see the city through their eyes and it makes it more interesting and real. Regular people are not able to focus on everything all at one time, they pick out details and focus on them. Sephy and the others discover their cities much like I would discover London, New York or any other large city. Your eyes are drawn to certain things and it isn’t until later you see all the other details. I think it is a fantastic and natural way to explore your environment and Kirsty excels at this type of writing.
Just a small heads up for those people who have read the Tidal Kiss Triology – there is more sexual content in this story. Personally, I think it adds to the story; it helps to define the mental state of some of the characters, Haedes for example. Just be forewarned if you were going to give this to a younger individual.
Overall I loved this book – you should go buy it right now! I hope you love it too.
Hell. An overwritten subject. Sinners and penance, gods, demons, portals, demi-gods. . .all over done. At least that’s what I thought. Usually the books I get a kick out of reading feel like the same story with the words rearranged, and towards the end I can’t tell them apart anyways.
This year I have branched out and tried to read more indie authors- the underdogs, the not-so-well-known. One thing I’ve learned this year (even though the year isn’t up yet!) is that I was LESS disappointed with indie authors than I was my regular authors. I won’t go into TOO much detail in this review, but look out later for an Op-Ed post indie vs. well read.
This is my first go at a Kristy Nicolle book, and I was NOT disappointed. Upon finishing “The Opal Blade” I quickly learned that Nicolle has an entire other series already published that has a bit of a cross over with “The Opal Blade”. While I have not read the Tidal Kiss trilogy, I can openly say you do not NEED to read it to understand “The Opal Blade”.
Meet Persephone Sinclair- heiress to her father’s legacy in which she feels hesitant to accept. Most people wouldn’t turn down a family fortune, but Sephy feels reluctant to because of her parent’s death and the responsibility that comes with signing on the dotted line. She belongs out on the town, wild and free with no baggage holding her down. With a love ’em and leave ’em kind of attitude, Sephy’s seemingly only friend in the world is Jules, the butler as well as Cerb, her faithful and loyal leonberger. Being wild and free has it’s consequences. In hopes of not tarnishing the Sinclair name, Peter, Sephy’s uncle, decides to hire a body guard to keep her out of trouble. None too pleased, Sephy continues being her absolute self in hopes of embarrassing Xion (bodyguard) enough to leave well enough alone.
What she isn’t prepared for is braving the heartache her parent’s death has left her in and figuring out where her place in the world really is.
Xion takes Sephy through the portal (on her parent’s property I may add!) to hell. I would like to tell you that every detail is morbid, or even romanticized (usually the only two ends of the spectrum that are hit), but Nicolle steps up to the plate and makes hell completely her own. There a quite a few gender swaps, which are deviously amazing and well written. Sephy seems to be able to make friends in hell rather quickly, especially with Lucifer.
Naturally, realizing your father, Lord of the Underworld, wants nothing to do with you, other citizens of Mortaria would like to know how your presence will affect the present and the future. Naturally the Fates are involved, and a few unexpected mythological figures as well.
Join Sephy as she journeys through life in the Underworld, only coming up for air when her business is finished, and the threat on her life has been contained. Losing her former self, and discovering who she truly is, and what connections she has in the afterlife. As she steps through the portal to hell, she leaves her old life, a flickering flame waiting to ignite. As she discovers her true purpose and identity, Sephy becomes a force to be reckoned with.
To be honest- I am too excited writing this review to even feel like I gave this book the justice it deserves. Kristy Nicolle is the REAL force to be reckoned with. From start to finish, the reader is able to tell that everything, no seriously, EVERYTHING has been well thought out. The detail that is put into the descriptions, body language, actions, is overwhelmingly stimulating. I usually struggle trying to match descriptions to quotes and post on my Instagram account. Not the case here. I was overwhelmed, and literally had to space out my IG posts just to keep from spamming my friends with bookish posts.
If you couldn’t tell by now, I HIGHLY suggest reading “The Opal Blade” by Kristy Nicolle. I would say it’s for a “mature” audience, however I will NEVER put an age limit on where mature starts (I’m still bitter from an incident in 4th grade when my teacher told me I was “too young for a book” I was reading- reading well in fact!). I will fully admit I have left A LOT out of this review- on purpose. I don’t enjoy reading spoilers, I don’t enjoy starting to read a review and slowly realizing they are spoiling the book for me. I don’t do that- that’s not classy. I would hope that if you are into mythology of ANY kind, be it, Greek, Egyptian, what have you, and you love a fantastic fictional cross over, you have to give this book a try. And if the story line doesn’t pull you in, then the author’s pure level of snark surely will. I don’t often find myself saying this, but I am now on a mission to have an entire shelf devoted to this author- with signed books. I’ll even be as bold to say this is one author I would absolutely love to meet.