The Onyx Talisman Blog Tour: Review + Contest
by Brenda Pandos
Genre: YA paranormal
Format: Book, 247 pages and ebook
Publisher: Obsidian Mountain Publishing, December 16th 2011 (first published December 14th 2011)
Blurb: Alora looked back and the corner of her lip turned up. “It’s always darkest before the dawn, Julia. Good luck.”
Her words sent chills up my spine as she vanished.
Unrest stirs deep in Scotts Valley. Filled with uncertainty, Julia anxiously awaits Nicholas’ return. Phil, hurt and unsure of his place as a sober vampire, holds the pieces of Julia’s fragile psyche together, secretly hoping Nicholas stays away forever. Scarlett bides her time, plotting for the perfect moment to prove herself and earn redemption. But somewhere in L.A., Alora conspires to reclaim her talisman and strip Julia of everything she holds dear.
Little do they know, a war is coming and more than one vampire would like to see the Prince of Vampires overthrown. As more and more vampires show up from nowhere, addicted to her scent, Julia must pick her allies carefully before it’s too late. Can Julia bargain with fate? When the time comes, will she even have a choice? Find out how it all ends in this explosive grand finale of The Talisman Trilogy.
My review: Reading this third and final book in the Talisman series was bittersweet in some ways. This was the last book and there would be no more Julia, Nicholas or any more of the wonderful characters Brenda Pandos created to read about. But running along my sadness was excitement because this book was filled with a lot of action, twists and turns, and it took me on a thrilling ride. What I really liked was how the story felt like this was it--there was a finality to it. No bumps or teasers, no cliffhangers.
I loved The Emerald Talisman and The Sapphire Talisman. The Onyx Talisman has become my favorite. I won't give away spoilers but what I will say is there were times, beginning with the second book, where I felt myself switching sides, wondering--even hoping--that Phil might sway Julia to be with him. The swoon-worthy Nicholas changed and so did my feelings after Alora got a hold of him. Both characters, Nicholas and Julia, change and evolve in so many ways and seeing Julia and her power emerge kept me glued to the pages and I changed my mind concerning Nicholas once again. I liked how he and Julia faced conflicts, weren't always so loving and caring--this gave the story a realistic feel and was needed to keep the novel going. And it did move! Loved the action, the interactions, and the vampires, wow! There are so many vampires in this closing book and their lore was different from so many other books on the market. Fans of this terrific series have to read The Onyx Talisman.
A Note to Brenda Pandos:
Hi Brenda! Thank you! Thanks for writing such an exciting series. When I first began reading The Emerald Talisman, I knew this was somehting different when my heart was racing along with Julia's in the forest scene where she first encounters Nicholas. Wow! I could smell the trees, feels the rocks under my feet, I was there! Nicholas's story was different, unique and so sweet--he was THE GUY for any girl seeking a great boyfriend. The vampire lore and that of the hunters was also unique and was one of the reasons I loved the series so much.
The pacing, the dialogue, the plot, your series is a complete package and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I finished The Onyx Talisman the other night, like I said in my review, feeling kind of sad because this was it for these characters I've grown so fond of. So thank you for creating Julia, Nicholas, Phil, Sam, and the others, and thank you for entertaining me with their stories. (Oh, and I loved the new covers!)
Thanks to Brenda Pandos for the book and bookmarks and to Two Chicks on Books for hosting this tour.
 |
| Author website |
Why should you read my books? Because they are fun, clean, and capture young first love with a paranormal twist. If you like shapeshifters, vampires, mermaids and super-powers, you've come to the right place!
CONTEST! Brenda Pandos is hosting a contest to win a Kindle. The enter, use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
The remaining tour dates are:
April 3- Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
April 4- YzhaBella’s Bookshelf
April 5- Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf
April 6- The Bursting Bookshelf
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This trilogy sounds fantastic and I can't wait to check it out! Thank you for sharing the Giveaway! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm new to this trilogy and author but it sounds great! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteGREAT review, Reader Girls. Your comments make me want to go back and read the whole trilogy. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of these before, but they sound good. I went to amazon to check them out more, and saw good reviews. The price for the kindle books was amazing, the first book is free! thanks for turning me on to a new series!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being part of the tour. :) I'm thrilled you were immersed in the story right alongside Julia and enjoyed the bitter sweet ending. Hope you'll be on more of my tours. Hugs, Brenda
ReplyDelete