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Daughter of Chaos (Red Magic #1) - Jenn McConnel
ISBN -
Publisher - Month9Books
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Review
It's been a long time since I read anything involving witches, they haven't been in vogue for a long time - overshadowed by sparkly vampires, werewolves and other assorted creatures - but I'm hoping that Daughter of Chaos, along with several other 'witchy' books being published, will help put them back in the limelight again.
Darlena lives in a world where witchcraft is the norm, her parents are witches and the high school she attends is for witches too. All witches follow a path, White, Green or Black but Darlena is having trouble declaring. Her parents are Green, the boy she may be in love with has declared White and her best friend Rochelle is hurtling towards the Black Path. Things come to a head when Hecate, Queen of witches, shows up in Darlena's house forcing her to choose there and then. Without knowing what she's in for Lena declares Red and her life is never the same again. All of a sudden, goddesses are showing up all over the place - Persephone, Aphrodite and Pele all make appearances, and when they do Lena realizes that Red Magic is Chaos Magic, something she doesn't think she's capable of.
Daughters of Chaos is Lena's journey to accepting the path she has chosen, growing up and her relationship with Justin, the ex-boyfriend, and her parents, neither of whom even want to entertain the idea that Lena is Red. I loved that the setting was present day, not a regular occurrence with witchy tales and I love that McConnel tied in perfectly the Hades & Persephone myth with Lena spending time in the Underworld. All the characters were well written, there wasn't a single weak one amongst them - Rochelle was suitably dark and I really liked her part of the story, I'm still not sure whether I was expecting that particular plot or not. Justin was lovely, only considered an ex at the beginning because he refused to sleep with Darlena, part of his strong feelings as a White witch. I loved how their relationship started to really turn into something real throughout the book and by how accepting he was willing to be of her involvement with Chaos.
Daughters of Chaos involved some of my favorite things - mythology, witches, goddesses, a hint of Shakespeare - and that's what kept me turning the pages. The writing was strong and the world-building was fantastic, the premise of Black, White & Green paths in magic was a new take on the witchy novel (at least for me) and I can't wait to learn more about it all in the sequel which is hopefully not too many months away!
Jen McConnel first began
writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a
variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The
Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her
poem, “Luna”).
She is also a former reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW.
A
Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state
of North Carolina. A graduate of Western Michigan University, she
also holds a MS in Library Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. When she isn't crafting worlds of fiction, she
teaches college writing composition and yoga.
Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.
- See more at: http://www.jenmcconnel.com/p/about-author.html#sthash.I6FQ1o13.dpufOnce upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.
Jen McConnel first began
writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a
variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The
Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her
poem, “Luna”).
She is also a former reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW.
A
Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state
of North Carolina. A graduate of Western Michigan University, she
also holds a MS in Library Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. When she isn't crafting worlds of fiction, she
teaches college writing composition and yoga.
Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.
- See more at: http://www.jenmcconnel.com/p/about-author.html#sthash.I6FQ1o13.dpufOnce upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.
Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”).
She is also a former reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and a proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW.
A Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. She’s a graduate of Western Michigan University, and she also earned her MS in Library Science at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. When she isn’t crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.
Four (4) winners will receive an ebook copy of Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnel (INT)
One (1) winner will receive an ebook copy of Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnel AND a $10 Amazon Gift Card or B&N Gift Card – Winner’s Choice (INT)
Thank you so much for participating in the tour! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed DOC! :)
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