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Stone Legacy #2
Lights Of Aurora
After the discovery of her ancient Maya bloodlines, eighteen-year-old Ashley Coreandero is faced with a daunting responsibility. She must protect the stone of Muuk’Ich while Sarian, the underworld general, relentlessly drives her to the brink of insanity.
As the winter solstice approaches, it brings an onslaught of unexpected side effects. Ashley must seize control over her supercharged powers, while dealing with the overwhelming suspicion that her boyfriend, Arwan, is hiding a secret so dark it could destroy them both.
With the arrival of a surprise houseguest, Ashley’s deepest fears about Arwan are confirmed. And when middleworld deities intercede, the group of gifted Maya descendants are confronted with hardships they never saw coming—including an enemy more deadly than they have ever faced.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned—but when that woman has no soul and a taste for revenge, they will need the powers of every surviving ancestor simply to stay alive.
As the winter solstice approaches, it brings an onslaught of unexpected side effects. Ashley must seize control over her supercharged powers, while dealing with the overwhelming suspicion that her boyfriend, Arwan, is hiding a secret so dark it could destroy them both.
With the arrival of a surprise houseguest, Ashley’s deepest fears about Arwan are confirmed. And when middleworld deities intercede, the group of gifted Maya descendants are confronted with hardships they never saw coming—including an enemy more deadly than they have ever faced.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned—but when that woman has no soul and a taste for revenge, they will need the powers of every surviving ancestor simply to stay alive.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2013
83 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 3, 2014
The Stone Legacy is back! Hurray! And do you know what that means? More Drina! Arwan stick-whacking here I come!
Wait, what did you say? You mean Lights of Aurora isn't just about Drina and the many ways in which she whops "foolish boys" over the head with her stick of condemnation? But.... but.... I like Drina.
Luckily for me, there is no shortage of my favorite character in this novel. Or her much adored stick-whopping. In all seriousness, I am really glad that Drina played a larger role in this book than she did in The Stone Guardian. She has a very special relationship with Arwan, and I think that really helped Ashley once his big secret was finally revealed to her.
So that secret. I'm not sure how much of a secret it was supposed to be, especially because it was mentioned in the synopsis for The Stone Guardian, but hey, props to Ashley. Aside from the whole trying to kill him part (and to be fair, you didn't really know it was him), you handled it like a champ. You were nice and understanding when he told you to your face, and then you were royally pissed when you found out about his little omission. As you should have been.
Even after that, you balanced the two extremes I see too often in books after the leading lad screws the heck up. On one end you have "IM'MA TEAR YOUR #$%^& HEAD OFF!!!!!!" and on the other is "Oh, but honey bear, I still love you, we can work this out, I'll never ever let you go!" Neither of which I'm too fond of. Ashley, though, she did a pretty good job. That was especially important to me, seeing as how I still like Arwan a lot in spite of his "secret." She even stopped Eadith (who you will meet for the first time in this book) from charring his head off, which I thought was pretty classy.
The only thing I have a problem with in the Ashley-Arwan area is how quickly things switch up near the end of the book at the temple. Right now I'm going to chalk her sudden change in emotion up to the combination of the magic, fancy lights and Renato's incredible powers of persuasion, but I would have appreciated being able to actually read the process of her changing her mind back around there. Then again, I have a very strong feeling that's going to be a rather important topic of conversation in the next book.
Speaking of that area, how about I talk about the "surprise houseguest" mentioned in the blurb? Well, I suppose I can't actually tell you who that is, but I can at least say something. The houseguest is a she, and if you read The Stone Guardian, you have met her before, but before you get too excited, no, she is not Drina. Though to be honest, the thought of Arwan always being in the same house with Drina, ready to be whacked on the head at any moment by her, does make me really happy. Maybe she could even be turned loose on Jayden! Now that would be fun!
Briefly, now that I've mentioned Jayden, I would have liked to have read a little more from his perspective. This book was understandably more focused on Arwan and Ashley, and while I do appreciate that there wasn't an overwhelming amount of emphasis placed on the whole love-triangle thing, I do like hearing from Jayden. He's a great character.
Now, what was I talking about before the Jayden interlude? Oh, yes, the houseguest. To be honest, I didn't really like her attitude. I suppose I can understand where she's coming from, but I think it was a little rude of her to expect to have her opinion always be the most important, especially considering the fact that she's just now showing up. But I'm not supposed to like all of the characters because that would make the book boring, which it most certainly is not!
My only real complaint (which sort of relates back to what I was talking about before about the temple) is that I don't think there was enough time for the characters to just reflect. The story seemed slightly rushed, and because of that, I wasn't able to really immerse myself into the minds of the characters as much as I would have liked to. There was definitely a lot of action, but I don't feel like I was as in touch with some of the finer details as I was in The Stone Guardian and "Escaping Darkness."
Overall, though, this was still an excellent addition to the series (I was particularly fond of the scene in the sporting goods store), and I can't wait to find out what happens next! Darn you, cliffhanger!
Taylor
For the original review and more, please visit Marked By Books.
Wait, what did you say? You mean Lights of Aurora isn't just about Drina and the many ways in which she whops "foolish boys" over the head with her stick of condemnation? But.... but.... I like Drina.
Luckily for me, there is no shortage of my favorite character in this novel. Or her much adored stick-whopping. In all seriousness, I am really glad that Drina played a larger role in this book than she did in The Stone Guardian. She has a very special relationship with Arwan, and I think that really helped Ashley once his big secret was finally revealed to her.
So that secret. I'm not sure how much of a secret it was supposed to be, especially because it was mentioned in the synopsis for The Stone Guardian, but hey, props to Ashley. Aside from the whole trying to kill him part (and to be fair, you didn't really know it was him), you handled it like a champ. You were nice and understanding when he told you to your face, and then you were royally pissed when you found out about his little omission. As you should have been.
Even after that, you balanced the two extremes I see too often in books after the leading lad screws the heck up. On one end you have "IM'MA TEAR YOUR #$%^& HEAD OFF!!!!!!" and on the other is "Oh, but honey bear, I still love you, we can work this out, I'll never ever let you go!" Neither of which I'm too fond of. Ashley, though, she did a pretty good job. That was especially important to me, seeing as how I still like Arwan a lot in spite of his "secret." She even stopped Eadith (who you will meet for the first time in this book) from charring his head off, which I thought was pretty classy.
The only thing I have a problem with in the Ashley-Arwan area is how quickly things switch up near the end of the book at the temple. Right now I'm going to chalk her sudden change in emotion up to the combination of the magic, fancy lights and Renato's incredible powers of persuasion, but I would have appreciated being able to actually read the process of her changing her mind back around there. Then again, I have a very strong feeling that's going to be a rather important topic of conversation in the next book.
Speaking of that area, how about I talk about the "surprise houseguest" mentioned in the blurb? Well, I suppose I can't actually tell you who that is, but I can at least say something. The houseguest is a she, and if you read The Stone Guardian, you have met her before, but before you get too excited, no, she is not Drina. Though to be honest, the thought of Arwan always being in the same house with Drina, ready to be whacked on the head at any moment by her, does make me really happy. Maybe she could even be turned loose on Jayden! Now that would be fun!
Briefly, now that I've mentioned Jayden, I would have liked to have read a little more from his perspective. This book was understandably more focused on Arwan and Ashley, and while I do appreciate that there wasn't an overwhelming amount of emphasis placed on the whole love-triangle thing, I do like hearing from Jayden. He's a great character.
Now, what was I talking about before the Jayden interlude? Oh, yes, the houseguest. To be honest, I didn't really like her attitude. I suppose I can understand where she's coming from, but I think it was a little rude of her to expect to have her opinion always be the most important, especially considering the fact that she's just now showing up. But I'm not supposed to like all of the characters because that would make the book boring, which it most certainly is not!
My only real complaint (which sort of relates back to what I was talking about before about the temple) is that I don't think there was enough time for the characters to just reflect. The story seemed slightly rushed, and because of that, I wasn't able to really immerse myself into the minds of the characters as much as I would have liked to. There was definitely a lot of action, but I don't feel like I was as in touch with some of the finer details as I was in The Stone Guardian and "Escaping Darkness."
Overall, though, this was still an excellent addition to the series (I was particularly fond of the scene in the sporting goods store), and I can't wait to find out what happens next! Darn you, cliffhanger!
Taylor
For the original review and more, please visit Marked By Books.
November 6, 2013
What can I say!. Theresa has charmed her way into my heart yet again with her creative storytelling talents. Ok, lets start at the beginning. The cover is absolutely mesmerizing. The color combination is beautiful and it is one of the best covers I have seen.
In the beginning, I didn’t really know why the book was titled so. But towards the end, I understood. The lights of Aurora is a very significant thing in Mayan life. The story begins right where it left off without any further ado. The pace is really good. Arwan is ever so hot and we get to know more about him, which I loved. There are twists and turns along the story and that makes it an unputdownable book.
One negative though is that at times, certain dialogues were repeated (inorder to show the depth of the emotion e.g. an argument). I found that bothersome and felt like “Come on, get on with it, will you?”. This is probably nit picking but I gotta say it all yeah?. There is more character development in this book when Ashley becomes more comfortable with her powers, Hawa is not her irate self and Jayden.. oh well he still remains a “Grade A a$$hole” (author’s words not mine!). I love the way, the winter solstice and the Lights of Aurora is explained. When reading, everything is explained in such a way that no questions arise in your mind. That means the author has gone to great lengths to make sure her readers are completely satisfied. As always, this book too is very well researched. I simply cant wait for the next book in this series. The ending makes you want to know more and more.
Seriously, the way she writes, Theresa makes me get right back to the book as soon as I finish the chores or should I say, I rush through the chores just to get back to the book. I don’t think many authors have successfully induced that effect on me. This book gets a 5/5 from me which by Goodreads standards means ‘it was amazing’!
In the beginning, I didn’t really know why the book was titled so. But towards the end, I understood. The lights of Aurora is a very significant thing in Mayan life. The story begins right where it left off without any further ado. The pace is really good. Arwan is ever so hot and we get to know more about him, which I loved. There are twists and turns along the story and that makes it an unputdownable book.
One negative though is that at times, certain dialogues were repeated (inorder to show the depth of the emotion e.g. an argument). I found that bothersome and felt like “Come on, get on with it, will you?”. This is probably nit picking but I gotta say it all yeah?. There is more character development in this book when Ashley becomes more comfortable with her powers, Hawa is not her irate self and Jayden.. oh well he still remains a “Grade A a$$hole” (author’s words not mine!). I love the way, the winter solstice and the Lights of Aurora is explained. When reading, everything is explained in such a way that no questions arise in your mind. That means the author has gone to great lengths to make sure her readers are completely satisfied. As always, this book too is very well researched. I simply cant wait for the next book in this series. The ending makes you want to know more and more.
Seriously, the way she writes, Theresa makes me get right back to the book as soon as I finish the chores or should I say, I rush through the chores just to get back to the book. I don’t think many authors have successfully induced that effect on me. This book gets a 5/5 from me which by Goodreads standards means ‘it was amazing’!
November 26, 2013
I got this book from the author, free of cost, in exchange of an honest review from my side.
Firstly I would like to thank the author for giving me this opportunity of reading and reviewing this book.
Well, just like the other two books in this series the author really knocked me over with this book. The characters made a remarkable and noticeable development and in this book we get to see the darker and in many case the lighter aspects of the characters. Some of them just remained a pain in the butt in here as well like Jayden. Ashley was the charm of this book and I really loved her and Arwan is keeping a great and dangerous secret that can snap his and Ashley’s love ties. What is that secret? Well that mystery kept me hooked to the story. Sarian has become more dangerous and evil in this book and he wants Ashley for himself. Will he succeed? Well that you’ll find out after reading the book for which I’ll encourage everyone because it’s a great read. Lots of action, mystery, romance, dangers, betrayals, doubts, etc will made this read an intriguing and fascinating read for ya all. The writing style of the author is fantastic as usual and it forged a bond between me and the characters and I easily became a part of the plot. I loved the world building very much and hope that you guys will love it as well. Happy reading folks!!!
Firstly I would like to thank the author for giving me this opportunity of reading and reviewing this book.
Well, just like the other two books in this series the author really knocked me over with this book. The characters made a remarkable and noticeable development and in this book we get to see the darker and in many case the lighter aspects of the characters. Some of them just remained a pain in the butt in here as well like Jayden. Ashley was the charm of this book and I really loved her and Arwan is keeping a great and dangerous secret that can snap his and Ashley’s love ties. What is that secret? Well that mystery kept me hooked to the story. Sarian has become more dangerous and evil in this book and he wants Ashley for himself. Will he succeed? Well that you’ll find out after reading the book for which I’ll encourage everyone because it’s a great read. Lots of action, mystery, romance, dangers, betrayals, doubts, etc will made this read an intriguing and fascinating read for ya all. The writing style of the author is fantastic as usual and it forged a bond between me and the characters and I easily became a part of the plot. I loved the world building very much and hope that you guys will love it as well. Happy reading folks!!!
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September 2, 2016 First off, I'd like to say that I did not read the first book in this series and I think that it would definitely benefit readers to read them in order. It was quite possible to read this book without the first one as there was enough back story in the first section of the book to gather the necessary information, but I do believe it's best to read in order.
Now, given that I have not read the first book - I did find Ashley's story to be extremely adventurous. Not only is she learning about the Mayan culture, she is learning about her powers and her job as guardian of the stone and trying to keep those safe around her.
Her love life with Arwan was interesting to me as they seemed to have this love for each other that spans all time, but Arwan's secret changed things quite a bit. I think things might be challenged in the next book based one how things pan out in this one.
The story itself is fast paced, full of intrigue and I really enjoyed learning about the Maya - mostly because I recently visited Mexico and enjoyed my visits to many Mayan temples. So this brought back memories of the trip.
I believe that I may go back and read the previous book in this series to catch up and learn even more Mayan culture and religious beliefs.
Now, given that I have not read the first book - I did find Ashley's story to be extremely adventurous. Not only is she learning about the Mayan culture, she is learning about her powers and her job as guardian of the stone and trying to keep those safe around her.
Her love life with Arwan was interesting to me as they seemed to have this love for each other that spans all time, but Arwan's secret changed things quite a bit. I think things might be challenged in the next book based one how things pan out in this one.
The story itself is fast paced, full of intrigue and I really enjoyed learning about the Maya - mostly because I recently visited Mexico and enjoyed my visits to many Mayan temples. So this brought back memories of the trip.
I believe that I may go back and read the previous book in this series to catch up and learn even more Mayan culture and religious beliefs.
November 29, 2013
I absolutely loved this book! I have been following all of the Stone Guardian series, and I was very excited to get to read this one. The story follows Ashley and her Riyata friends and companions, and continues the story of her struggle. I won't give anything away, but I was hoping for a more big bang boom ending, something like a big battle or what not that most fantasy books end with. However, the plot does thicken with the Epilogue at the end, which will absolutely bring me back to read the next book in the series. As always, McClinton keeps me reading this book with her witty comments between characters and the constant drama that seems to hover about them. I could not put this book down! If you are looking for a good series to keep you busy, this is absolutely the book to read! I am ready for the next one already! Happy Reading!!
November 16, 2013
I received a free copy for an honest review. Ashley is learning more about Mayan life styles. Sarian is trying to get Ashley for himself. She must protect the stone and control her powers. Arwan is hiding a dark secret from Ashley. I couldn't put this book down because of all the twist and turns. I highly recommend trying this series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews