{{BLOG TOUR}} FROM THE SHADOWS ~ L. J. Stock

Book: From the Shadows: Book 2 in the Mortisalian Saga

Author: L.J. Stock

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Romance

Life has changed dramatically for Cassandra Collier. She’s accepted her role as the Princess of Mortisali. She’s more in love with Damon than she could have ever imagined, and she has a life she desperately wants to live. The only problem? That pesky little prophecy that follows her around like a shadow. The pressure to speed her life along isn’t quite as bad as she’d anticipated, but the antiquated laws she has to live by make it impossible to take matters into her own hands, especially when the love of her life is a man bound by morals and honor. When duty pulls her away from the palace and Damon, Cass finds herself ambushed by the veneficus. Locked away by a formidable enemy and surrounded by stone and hopelessness, Cass has no escape other than retreating into her own head. The trouble is, she’s not the same girl who was held in an asylum by complacency. She’s a princess, the princess of Mortisali, and all it takes is a hint of light to emerge from the shadows for everything to change...

Amazon

Lauren's Review

***ARC provided in exchange for an honest review - Lauren / Scandalous Book Blog***

From the shadows is the second book from the Mortisalian saga set in the fictional world of Mortisali. The book picks up where Parallel finished with Cass taking her rightful place as princess of Mortisali. Still madly in love with Damon and surrounded by family and friends, Cass couldn’t be happier! But Cass is constantly reminded of the prophecy that is dictating her life.

With royal duties taking Cass away from the palace and Damon, she is captured by Thánatos’s army and held prisoner with no way to translocate home. Will Cass be able to escape and return to Damon or could it be possible that Cass isn’t the girl in the prophecy after all. Is this the end of her story??

I loved this book even more than the first. I can’t describe the emotions I felt when I was reading this book, it really did just suck me in. Just randomly I would start crying even when it wasn’t a sad part, the tension through out the book had me on a knife edge the whole time. We get to see much deeper into the characters this time, not just Cass and Damon but everyone one in the story too. There are some new additions to this story too one of them I think everyone will fall in love with.

I really love the lead character Cass, in the first book to me she came across as afraid, slightly timid, unwilling to let anyone in but in this book Cass is a strong kick ass princess and she’s comfortable in her own skin. Cass is compassionate and has so much love to give but will also bring you down if you cross her or anyone she loves. Its really refreshing to have a well rounded leading lady.

L J Stock’s writing is so descriptive I felt like I was walking through the fields of Mortisali too, the attention to detail is amazing nothing has been left out. Each character is so well defined I feel like I no them all inside and out.

From the shadows is a continuation of a love story but it’s also so much more. Its witty and funny but also sad with a lot tension thrown in all at the same time. The only downside to this book is I have to wait for book number 3! It can’t come out quick enough.

Book 1 - Parallel

Cassandra Collier was only seventeen when her parents dumped her in a psychiatric ward. Seven years later, she still has no hope of leaving. Nothing’s changed. She still hears sounds that can’t possibly be real - sounds of war and brutal deaths that she can’t turn off. At least, not since his voice was silenced in her mind. After a threat to her life becomes very real, Cassandra is torn from the only world she’s ever known and thrust into the very reality and truth that have been hidden from her since she was born, including the prophecy that is her birthright. Unsure whether she has the strength to be the woman she needs to be, and more than aware that her decision controls the fate of a world that doesn’t know she exists, Cassandra has to choose between the love of a man who barely registers her existence and loyalty to a father she barely knows.

Lauren's Review

***ARC provided in exchange for an honest review - Lauren / Scandalous Book Blog***

This is across dimension story based in present day USA and a parallel universe called Mortisali.

We meet Cassandra or Cass in a psychiatric ward, she knows she’s crazy everyone does, she hears voices in her head and sees things she can’t touch but only when she is in contact with water. At 24 she also knows she will be staying here forever if her father has his way. She doesn’t no why but he hates her. Cass had a miserable childhood with no friends, her brother Steven loved her and tried to protect her but he couldn’t be around all the time. She did have one friend Damon but he was just in her head, he couldn’t be real could he? But she hasn’t seen him for years now anyway. Luckily Cass has a lovely nurse Alexa who has become more like a friend over the past 5 years but Cass’s life is about to be turned upside down and she will need Alexa’s help more than she could ever know when she is thrust into the world of Mortisali without any warning making Cass question everything that’s happened in her life up to this point.

In my opinion I felt that the first part of this book was really confusing and it took me a while to get my head round the story but once I got it I loved it! Following Cass from one dimension to the next with loads of plot twists thrown kept me wanting more. I can’t wait to read more about Cass and her new life. I’m so excited to read the next book!!

From a young age L.J. Stock was led by her imagination. From the moment she could read she fell into worlds where trees could talk and little girls could move things with their minds. In no hurry to grow up, she found stories all around her, in the forests of Plym Bridge, the moss covered hills of Dartmoor, then, as she grew older, the wide spread city of Houston, where she currently resides and works. A constant daydreamer, she hopes that one day, her passion can become something more than just a hobby for her. Still led by her imagination, the worlds have slowly grown from childish adventures to urban fantasies and romances. With inspirational authors such as Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, John Grisham and Stephen King guiding her through her life so far, L.J. Stock has finally decided that it is time for her to go for gold and try land herself on someone else’s future list of favorites. Putting words on paper is as essential as breathing to her, but on the rare occasions that she isn’t writing, she can be found with a video game remote in hand or curled up on the couch with her pup and a good book. Music is also such an important part of her life, it’s a wonder there isn’t a background soundtrack playing wherever she goes. A good girl to most, a bad girl to a few, L.J. believes that every genre should be attempted and is more than likely to have tried to release three hundred series’ ranging from vampires and werewolves, to dystopian and even classic romance, before she reaches even middle age. At least, that’s the plan for now.