GRAND MASTER’S PAWN
by
Aurora Springer
A
thousand years in the future, wars and portal failures disturb the fringes of
the galaxy. On Terra, twenty-two year old Violet Hunter seems an ordinary
student of the Space Academy, who dreams of exploring unknown planets. She
applies to serve as the pawn of one of the twelve Grand Masters, although her
hidden talent of empathy makes her ineligible. Violet has defied the
prohibition against psychics for half her life. Why should she stop now?
Isolation
is the penalty for a Grand Master’s great power because their touch is deadly
to a normal person. The Grand Master with the griffin avatar selected the girl
with the star-shaped birthmark in spite of her father’s dire prophesy. He is
suspicious about his disobedient pawn, yet he cannot deny the success of her
missions to strange planets where she finds more than he expected.
Violet
seeks the truth about the mysterious Grand Masters. Who or what are they? Do
they threaten or benefit civilization? While searching for answers, Violet does
the unthinkable. She makes a bargain with her obnoxious Grand Master and challenges
him to meet her face to face, risking her secret to discover his purpose. She
plunges into an impossible love and a world of intrigues. The vicious conflicts
propel her into flight from a terrible enemy and a desperate search for allies
to save her new found love.
Liza loves the new cover.
The
raft shot towards the top of the waterfall. Taranis stood, balanced on his
toes, and stared ahead from the vantage of his full height. He glanced back at
Violet, and shouted above the crash of the water, “The drop is too steep. We
must abandon the raft!”
Violet
staggered to her feet and stared at the rocky shore. Dubious, she shook her
head, “How? The current is too fierce to swim to the river bank, and I can’t
jump that distance.”
Taranis
stepped carefully across the raft, took the pack from her grasp, and tossed it
onto the rocks at the edge of the water. “Get ready! I will throw you onto the
land.”
She
gulped, wide eyed in alarm. How was she supposed to prepare?
Without
further warning, he caught her round the waist and flung her from the raft.
Violet shrieked. She flew over the water, twisting with cat-like agility to
land on her hands and feet. Her hands stung from the impact, but she was safe
on the shore. She turned to watch Taranis.
He
ran with the pole in his hands to the edge of the raft, stuck the pole into the
water and vaulted to the rocks. He staggered on a slippery stone, and Violet
grabbed his wrist and tugged to prevent him from falling. Instead, she slammed
against his body with her face pressed against his bare chest, tingling with
psychic power. Immediately, she felt foolish.
She
lifted her head to break the sizzling contact. They stepped apart, and he
stared down at her from those unreadable black eyes in his solemn face.
“Sorry!”
she muttered. She lowered her eyes and reddened with embarrassment. Was this
athletic man really her Grand Master? The one she had taunted as too decrepit
to participate in a mission.
He
patted her on the back. “It was a wild ride. You are fearless!”
What a delightful read.
As a master’s pawn Violet
Hunter travels over the universe meeting all sorts of sentient alien life forms
including Bears, Dragons, tiny cannibals etc, and picking up items that will be
useful to her in the future. She thinks
her master arrogant and obnoxious at first, but over time their relationship
changes and when he accompanies her, pretending to be a guide, her skills
allows her to know he’s her master. He falls in love with her.
I love
the detailed world building, just enough, but never too much which can pull you
from the story, and the slow but inevitable love between the Violet and her
master as they become partners in all ways. I especially love the way Violet
wins friends and influences people by being kind and thoughtful to others. That
is a strength that the evil members of the Master’s Council cannot tap into.
And when Violet needs help. Her new friends step up.
This is
a superb story. It has a clear pay it forward message that rings true even in a
world of fantasy.
Love it!
I give this 5 stars.
My career in science involves plenty of writing facts for research
articles. But, I’ve imagined exciting adventures in weird worlds for as long as
I can remember. For many years, life intervened. Now, I have achieved my
life-long ambition to publish novels. My published works include science
fiction and fantasy with romance and a sprinkle of humor. I was born in the UK
and live in Atlanta with my husband, a dog and two cats to sit on my laptop. My
hobbies, besides reading and writing, include outdoor activities like watching
wildlife, hiking and canoeing.
Media links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Aurora-Springer/e/B00K2C4NL8
Liza strongly recommends this book.
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