I am a huge fan of A.M. Manay and her writing. Her November Snow series was amazing, and I am thrilled to share her newest novel with my followers. A.M. Manay writes fantasy novels, which is my favorite thing to read. Today, we are going to focus on her newest novel, Hexborn. I was blessed with an advance reader's copy of Hexborn, and I absolutely LOVED it! Seriously, I cannot wait for book two to come out! You can read my review here.
Here is the blurb from the back of the book:
Hexborn. Abomination. Unclean. Young Shiloh knows
exactly what she is. She just refuses to let that stop her. Her illness might
make her an outcast, but her broken body hides great magical power. And she
intends to make the most of it.
Silas, the king’s ruthless fixer, seeks to use that power to preserve the uneasy peace the kingdom has enjoyed since the end of the Siblings’ War. Silas hauls Shiloh from her mountain village to the wizard academy at the king’s court, where magic and political intrigue conspire to create danger around every corner.
Can this child of war save the peace? Or will old sins rise to threaten Shiloh, Silas, and the kingdom of Bryn?
Silas, the king’s ruthless fixer, seeks to use that power to preserve the uneasy peace the kingdom has enjoyed since the end of the Siblings’ War. Silas hauls Shiloh from her mountain village to the wizard academy at the king’s court, where magic and political intrigue conspire to create danger around every corner.
Can this child of war save the peace? Or will old sins rise to threaten Shiloh, Silas, and the kingdom of Bryn?
Doesn't it sound exciting! Here is a book trailer to enjoy: https://youtu.be/n_7zG-Pn7t8.
Because I'm so excited about this release, I've asked the author to share a little bit from Hexborn. Enjoy!
Character Blog: Edmun Courtborn
It isn’t too often that a pivotal character in a story
starts off the book already dead. Edmun
Courtborn manages to do so in my latest fantasy novel, Hexborn. This feat is made
easier by the structure of my novel, in which each chapter (save the first)
begins with a flashback belonging either to Shiloh or Silas, my two
point-of-view characters.
Edmun, you see, was a teacher for a very long
time. When Silas was a boy, Edmun was
the headmaster of the Royal Academy of Mages, and Silas was his favorite
student. In exile as a broken, defeated
old man, Shiloh was Edmun’s sole pupil, and she stole his heart.
Born a royal bastard, Edmun grew up at court alongside
his many half-siblings. He flew high,
becoming the youngest headmaster ever appointed to the Royal Academy. His fall from grace was equally as dramatic.
Reading Hexborn, you get to know Edmun’s heart through
Shiloh’s and Silas’s flashbacks. You get
to know his legacy through their present.
Let’s take a look at one of Shiloh’s flashbacks:
Little
Shiloh knocked on Brother Edmun’s door, shaking like a leaf.
“Where
have you been, lazy child? You’re
late. Did the roosters all perish in the
night? Were you picking daisies?” he
scolded, pulling open the door. He grabbed
her by the arm and yanked her inside.
“I’m
sorry, Master,” she whispered. “I fell
down . . . they were hiding and . . .”
Her voice was thick with tears, and he looked down at her in surprise. There was something on her face. She swayed dizzily.
“Are
you bleeding?” Edmun exclaimed. He
guided her gently into the light pouring through his window and knelt down in
front of her. The irritation drained
from his face when he pulled back her hood.
“Lords above,” he breathed.
Shiloh’s
hair was matted with blood, which continued to seep steadily from a deep gash
on the crown of her head. Another wound
in front of her left ear bled freely, crimson pouring down her neck and
staining her collar. A bruise had begun
to color her forehead. Edmun pulled out
his wand and murmured an incantation.
The flow of blood slowed until, soon, it stopped altogether.
The
priest felt for broken bones. “Where
else did they get you, poppet?” he asked.
“Where else does it hurt?”
“It
hurts when I breathe,” she admitted.
“Ach,
probably a cracked rib. What in blazes
happened?” he asked.
“They
threw rocks at me,” she replied, a tear sneaking down her face. “Big ones.
They hid behind the Temple, so my Da wouldn’t see from his window.”
“Who?”
She
shook her head. “It’ll be worse for me
if they know I told you.”
Edmun
held her by the shoulders. “I know that,
Shiloh. I am not an idiot. I worked all my life with obnoxious children. I’ll not be revealing that you told me who
they are. We’ll get your justice on the
sly; mark my words. But first, I’ll
teach you how to make charms to protect yourself from the worthless Teethtrash
that inhabit this Godsforsaken village.
I should have done it already.
Now, do as I say, and tell me their names.”
“Victoh,
Meggan, and Karl,” she confessed.
“Sounds
about right. Their parents are lazy
dolts and mean as snakes.” Edmun gently
wiped the blood from her face and kissed her on the forehead, then pointed at
her little desk.
“Now,
to work,” he ordered. “A girl like you
needs to learn to use her pain, or else she hasn’t a chance in the world.”
Here is one from Silas:
“What’s
going on, Headmaster?” a teenaged Silas demanded, running across a muddy
courtyard to catch up with Edmun. He stumbled over a loose stone in the
dim light.
“Go
back to bed,” the headmaster ordered. His hair was wild and his voice
low. “You’ll be safer there.”
“I
wasn’t in bed. I was studying, and I heard raised voices. What’s
wrong? Where are you going in the dead of night? It’s going to rain
again before dawn,” the boy replied, solemn-faced and undeterred.
Edmun
wheeled on him. “I’m going to serve my rightful queen,” he hissed. “Before Rischar has her locked away, along with whomever he suspects
loves her more than they do him. My father has just breathed his last.”
“King
Jerroh is dead?” Silas replied, shocked. “But how?” He caught
himself. “I’m sorry, Headmaster. I should be offering condolences,
not asking questions.”
Edmun
brushed off his student’s sympathy. “How? Poison, I suspect.
The illness was swift and merciless. My grief is of no consequence.
The fight for succession will begin before the body is cold. Rischar and Mirin will not let the throne
slip through their grasping fingers, regardless of our father’s stated wishes
or our sister’s elder status. Nor will Alissa simply step aside.
She knows our baby brother isn’t fit to rule, and that the throne is hers
by law, female though she is.”
“You
think there will be a war?” Silas asked, eyes wide.
“I
think it’s already started,” Edmun replied, roughly grabbing the child by the
arm. “So, you need to either go back to bed and keep your head down and
your mouth shut, my most dear boy, and hope to heaven that Prince Rischar
hasn’t noticed your considerable talents. Or you need to decide whose
side you’re on and gird your loins. I
have to go. Now.”
Silas
looked up into his beloved tutor’s face. A calm came over him.
“Your
side. I’m on your side.”
What can you conclude about Edmun? What questions do
you have about him? Share your thoughts in the comments.
