[Review] Ferran's Map

Ferran's Map (Cat's Eye #4)

by T.L. Shreffler

I don't think it's any secret that I'm a big fan of the Cat's Eye series and it's author. As you might notice, I haven't post a single thing since my review of the third book in the series, Volcrian's Hunt. In short, my life got in the way of me keeping up my blog. However, when the author contacted me asking if I would like to participate in the blog tour for Ferran's Map, I just couldn't say no. I don't think there's a single book out there that could have brought me back to the blogging world. But enough about that, you're all here to see what I have to say about Ferran's Map.

At the end of Volcrian's Hunt, the demise of the evil bloodmage Volcrian was brought about when Sora was able to briefly connect with a secondary cat's eye to take him down. With the bad guy finally defeated, this could have been the end of the series. But as we found out through Ferran and Lorie's point of view, there is still a long way to go in this journey. So the crew heads off to the City of Crowns in search for the Book of the Named. 

Ferran's Map starts off not long after where it's predecessor had finished. It opens with the crew aboard Sila's ship, bound for the City of Crowns. Soon, Sora spots a dying woman on the shore. The woman points them to her village where Sora, Crash and Ferran find the entire village has been wiped out by the sickness. They also find a little more than they bargained for. 

It only makes them realize that things are getting worse and they must stop the Shade as they try to raise their dark god. 

What I found interesting about the progression of this series is that T.L. Shreffler has seamlessly added in more character point of views. Sora's Quest was told almost solely from Sora's view. In Viper's Creed, we see things from the point of view of the assassin (you can read my review of the first two here). Then Volcrian's Hunt slowly adds in the voice of Volcrian (do the see a pattern here?) as well as Lorie and members of the Shade. 

In Ferran's Map we learn more and Ferran and Lorie's past, and I grew to have a new respect for these characters. In the previous books I felt they were background characters who held little interest for me. I had a hard time relating to Lorie's character and Ferran just seemed like a frat boy who never settled down. 

The fourth book brings the added element of a much deeper story. It's not just Sora, Crash and Burn trying to bring down Volcrian and the havoc he created. Instead we have a lesson on the history of Lorie and Ferran and why they are the people they are today. We also learn more about Crash and his personal journey.

But don't worry, there's is plenty of Sora's and Crash to go around. One of the things I love most about this series is the subtle beauty that is Sora and Crash's relationship. I love the way their relationship has oh so slowly started to blossom. There's is no head over heels, I love you on sight moment in this series. Their relationship has been built on the need to trust each other in dire situations. 

I like to think of it like a slowly blooming flower. It's not yet full developed, the petals are still trying to find their way. But at any moment, something could come along to destroy that beautiful flower. 

That something is named Cerastes. Will he succeed in crushing that flower, and the entire world along with it? You'll have to read to find out. 

Rating: This author and this book will probably always get 5 stars from me.

Make sure to click on the links below for more information and also enter the awesome GIVEAWAY!

*I was provided an ARC copy for an honest review

Book summary

Release date: January 20th, 2015 

Title: Ferran's Map (The Cat's Eye Chronicles, Book 4) 

Author: T. L. Shreffler 

Website: www.catseyechronicles.com 

 

Synopsis  

The bloodmage Volcrian is dead, but a new enemy lurks in the shadows. The Shade, a fanatical cult of demonic assassins, is trying to resurrect the Dark God and unleash His power back into the world. In their wake, a deadly plague is spreading across the land.  

Only Sora and her companions know the plague’s true source. As the disease spreads, she must journey to the City of Crowns to retrieve The Book of the Named, her only hope of stopping the Shade. She and her companions arrive just in time for the winter solstice festival, a notorious two weeks of fine wines, grand parties and legendary debauchery. She must don the guise of a noblewoman and infiltrate the First Tier nobility to stop the Shade before it’s too late.  

Meanwhile, the assassin Crash is confronted by a ghost from his past. As he uncovers more of the Shade’s plot, he finds himself face-to-face with his old Grandmaster. Can Crash lay to rest his past, or will he succumb to his inner demon and rejoin the man who once made him a killer? 

About the author

T. L. Shreffler lives in Los Angeles, CA. She loves diversity, fantasy, romance, iced tea, long walks, philosophy, and thrift store shopping. She recently graduated with a BA in Badass (Creative Writing) and her poetry has been published consecutively in Eclipse: A Literary Journal and The Northridge Review. She is author of The Cat's Eye Chronicles (YA/Epic Fantasy) and The Wolves of Black River (PN Romance.) 

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Facebook: www.facebook.com/tlshreffler 

Twitter: @catseyeauthor 

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Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/catseyeauthor/ 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/catseyeauthor/ 

Series website: www.catseyechronicles.com 

Writing Blog: www.tlshreffler.com 

Giveaway

This giveaway is International...

1 winner ~ Paperback copy of Ferran's Map

1 winner ~ Cat's Eye necklace

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[Review] Cat's Eye Series

Author: T.L. Shreffler

Publish Date: April 12, 2012 by Runaway Pen, 250 pages

Get it here: Amazon

Rating: 4.5/5

Lately I haven't had a whole lot of time to start, let alone finish, any of the number of books that are on my current reading list. As I got to thinking of other topics I could write a post about I realized 2012 is coming to a close and I definitely need to come up with a top 10 list of the best books that I've read in the past year (not limited to just those published this year).

My mind began to wander as I pondered which books I would put on that list. It's hard to narrow down the list and sometimes my opinion of a book can vary with my mood. However, there are a few books which are absolute shoo-ins as top contenders.

One of the slots I have to give away to a series by T.L. Shreffler called the Cat's Eye series. That includes "Sora's Quest", "Viper's Creed" and "Volcrian's Hunt" (yet to be released). The second book, "Viper's Creed" was released at the tail end of October and I had been waiting for it for a while.

As I began thinking about these books that I've absolutely fallen in love with, a realization dawned on me. I thought, "zoomg (that's OMG with a little extra oomph) why have I not declared my undying love for this series?" That thought led to this post where I will proceed to tell you why Ms. Shreffler is quickly becoming one of my favorite young authors.

"Sora's Quest" is the first of the series. The story opens with a young girl of noble birth, Sora,  who is waiting to be hustled off to an unloving, arranged marriage. As she waits, she plots ways to get out of this situation. She figures the best way to solve this problem is to run away, have an adventure and find her long-lost mother at the end.

While waiting for the first opportunity to break free of the wedding guests, strip off her horrid gown and ride away on her horse she gets a little surprise visit from an assassin who brings about the death of her father. (This all happens pretty quickly so I don't consider that a spoiler.)

She is then kidnapped by said assassin and so the journey she always wished for begins, albeit a little differently than she anticipated. Through the rest of the chapters she meets two Wolfies, pointy-eared creatures of a different race thought to be long extinct, hikes through a swap, learns how to kick some ass and finds out a few things about herself along the way.

Reasons why I adored this book: For starters it had an assassin. I love books with assassins and the reason this one topped my list was due to the fact that Crash is and always will be an assassin. Shreffler doesn't follow the model of other authors who have a seriously bad ass character and then they decide to ruin him/her by having them fall in love and completely changing who they are. An assassin is a cold-blooded killer and falling in love doesn't turn them into a perfect boy scout and prince charming.

Crash continues his bad ass-ery throughout the entire book by pretty much being the face of death. He's a harsh man of very few words but he does have one redeemable quality. Once you're in his wolfpack (Hangover reference for ya there) then he's got your back. He's one of the most interesting, complex and multidimensional characters I have met in a long time and he hardly says anything at all.

The story continues in "Viper's Creed". I can't really say I lot about this one without giving away parts of the first book but I'll just say it's even better than the first. The plot line really starts to come together and you get to meet some more interesting characters.

The best part is the glimpses you get from Crash in the second book. He has small ways of letting his feelings for Sora come through. I think Shreffler did one excellent job of showing the struggles that both characters have in that relationship. You also get to learn a little more about how Crash became an assassin at the young age of 14.

Now that this post is done and way longer than it should ever be, I still don't feel like it did these books justice. All I can say is that I couldn't sleep at night for a week after reading this book because all I could think about was it's supreme awesomeness. Anyone know when #3 is set to arrive?

Happy reading to all.