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Devourer
Outlawed and banned magick weaver, Akub, once known as The Devourer, arrives on the ice planet, with one goal—snatch the queen’s soul. Armed with a soul-stealing orb, she’s ready to fulfill her quest as ordained by the goddess herself.
There’s only one person standing in her Minister Knight Zykeiah.
They once had a passionate, unbridled affair. It ended in tragedy.
Zykeiah will do anything to protect the Veloris queen and stop Akub. She knows the savagery of The Devourer firsthand.
Yet when an even greater threat seeks to destroy the kingdom, Akub, Zykeiah, and all the Minster Knights must work together to vanquish it. Will Akub have the courage to face her new destiny and become a hero, or will her past actions risk embracing a new future?
The fate of Veloris depends on her choice.
There’s only one person standing in her Minister Knight Zykeiah.
They once had a passionate, unbridled affair. It ended in tragedy.
Zykeiah will do anything to protect the Veloris queen and stop Akub. She knows the savagery of The Devourer firsthand.
Yet when an even greater threat seeks to destroy the kingdom, Akub, Zykeiah, and all the Minster Knights must work together to vanquish it. Will Akub have the courage to face her new destiny and become a hero, or will her past actions risk embracing a new future?
The fate of Veloris depends on her choice.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2017
3 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Givens Kurtz
72 books189 followersNicole Givens Kurtz is an author, editor, and educator. She's the recipient of the Ladies of Horror Grant (2021), the Horror Writers Association's Diversity Grant (2020) and the two-time Atomacon Palmetto Scribe Award Winner (2021 and 2022). She's also the editor of the groundbreaking anthology, SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire. She’s written for White Wolf, The Realm's The Vela: Salvation series, and Baen’s No Game for Knights and Straight Outta Tombstone. Nicole has over numerous short stories published as well as numerous novels and three active speculative mystery series. She enjoys reading scary stories and watching true crime.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 14, 2017
I’ve long been a fan of Nicole Givens Kurtz’s Weird Western short stories and her Cybil Lewis sci-fi private eye novels, but this is the first fantasy novel by her that I’ve read. I found it to be fast-paced and exhilarating, set in a richly-developed world of magic, goddesses, soul-stealing orbs, exciting swordfights, undead villains, and complex romance. I’m looking forward to going back and reading the first novel in this series, The Soul Cages, and I hope the author will grace us with a third.
December 30, 2017
Oh, man. The past few books I’ve read, Harkworth Hall and Anarchy, have made good on delivering some aspects of diversity. I’m very happy to announce that Devourer does so as well, and the author makes sure there’s no misinterpreting that fact.
A great evil is coming back to Veloris. Skin, once called a Devourer, seeks to protect a former lover from the evil, and as such, save the world. Of course she fails, and is not set on a dangerous path that could potentially end the life of everything she’s ever loved.
When I started reading, I noticed that the world building was really spaced out, like I’d been dropped into the second or third novel in the series. Lo and behold, I had. There were things that made more sense once I realized where I was at in the series, and yet I still feel like I missed critical bits of information. I would definitely start with the first of the series to familiarize yourself with what kind of world you’re dealing with.
The writing style was pretty good. Description and detail felt on the level, though perspective switches felt awkward and abrupt mid-chapter. It ended up being a little jarring. Hopefully it was just the formatting of the copy I received.
Betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness were heavy themes throughout and the aided in character development. Each of the characters had their own storyline to accomplish. Their stories served to aid the plot and their development, too. For the most part, the characters felt different from each other and three-dimensional. There were a few spots where their individual voices sort of started to blend together, but they managed to come back and right themselves.
There were a lot of good qualities contained within this novel. It’s an interesting story with a diverse cast of characters, something that’s pretty important to me as a reader. Magic and science-fiction can be combined for a good backdrop, which is exactly what this novel manages.
A great evil is coming back to Veloris. Skin, once called a Devourer, seeks to protect a former lover from the evil, and as such, save the world. Of course she fails, and is not set on a dangerous path that could potentially end the life of everything she’s ever loved.
When I started reading, I noticed that the world building was really spaced out, like I’d been dropped into the second or third novel in the series. Lo and behold, I had. There were things that made more sense once I realized where I was at in the series, and yet I still feel like I missed critical bits of information. I would definitely start with the first of the series to familiarize yourself with what kind of world you’re dealing with.
The writing style was pretty good. Description and detail felt on the level, though perspective switches felt awkward and abrupt mid-chapter. It ended up being a little jarring. Hopefully it was just the formatting of the copy I received.
Betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness were heavy themes throughout and the aided in character development. Each of the characters had their own storyline to accomplish. Their stories served to aid the plot and their development, too. For the most part, the characters felt different from each other and three-dimensional. There were a few spots where their individual voices sort of started to blend together, but they managed to come back and right themselves.
There were a lot of good qualities contained within this novel. It’s an interesting story with a diverse cast of characters, something that’s pretty important to me as a reader. Magic and science-fiction can be combined for a good backdrop, which is exactly what this novel manages.
January 12, 2018
This novel (the second in a series) hits the ground running. I was definitely glad I had read the first book and recommend that others start with the first installment to understand the world more fully.
The first novel centered around two sisters: Sarah and Amana. Both women are back in this novel, but Devourer is not their story. This narrative belongs to Akub, a woman with a history that leaves the Minister Knights on guard, not knowing if she can be believed or trusted when she claims to have been sent by the goddess with a mission to save the planet.
The story is rich with intrigue, with secrets, lies, and the past forming obstacles to the future for several characters. This made for some tense confrontations and uneasy alliances. Because there was so much going on, the novel felt a little disjointed to me in places. I wished it were longer, with more time given to building towards the emotional moments.
All in all, though, a very satisfying read in a fascinating new fantasy world. I hope there will be more!
The first novel centered around two sisters: Sarah and Amana. Both women are back in this novel, but Devourer is not their story. This narrative belongs to Akub, a woman with a history that leaves the Minister Knights on guard, not knowing if she can be believed or trusted when she claims to have been sent by the goddess with a mission to save the planet.
The story is rich with intrigue, with secrets, lies, and the past forming obstacles to the future for several characters. This made for some tense confrontations and uneasy alliances. Because there was so much going on, the novel felt a little disjointed to me in places. I wished it were longer, with more time given to building towards the emotional moments.
All in all, though, a very satisfying read in a fascinating new fantasy world. I hope there will be more!
December 27, 2017
Kurtz weaves a fantastical tale with complex characters set on an intriguing, forbidden planet. Akub is a bad dudette. That’s why they call her The Devourer. She comes to the ice planet to steal the queen’s soul, which is kind of a jerk move. But it’s her destiny, so, you know. Go fig.
Zykeiah is like Nope, though. She’s not having it and intends to stop Akub. But Akub’s situation seems to be a little more complex than it appears.
This is a fun, fast-paced read with magic, prophecies, and all that good stuff. It’s the second in the series; I highly recommend checking them both out.
Zykeiah is like Nope, though. She’s not having it and intends to stop Akub. But Akub’s situation seems to be a little more complex than it appears.
This is a fun, fast-paced read with magic, prophecies, and all that good stuff. It’s the second in the series; I highly recommend checking them both out.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews