Bittersouls by L.A. Morton-Yates - Book Tour & Review + Giveaway

Bittersouls

by L.A. Morton-Yates

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GENRE: YA Fantasy

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BLURB:

A Shade. A Storm. A Soul.

Cursed with forbidden knowledge, 19-year-old Dela must hide her secret from her nomadic tribe or face exile into the frozen wasteland of the Bitters. When she becomes separated from her people during a blizzard, a mysterious and dangerous wanderer named Talon promises to help her find her way back to them. She quickly learns that nothing is what it seems, that her curse may actually be a gift, and that the Bitters are far more dangerous than she could have imagined.

Packed with unexpected twists, Bittersouls is a mixture of survival, adventure, and slow-burn romance that is sure to get your heart pounding.

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EXCERPT

A Soul

[Dela] rounded the corner, stepping into the mouth of the cave. As she expected, she wasn’t alone. But the man who leaned against the far wall of the cave, watching her with a wild and savage curiosity, was not a man she’d ever laid eyes on before. He wore a stark, white roughcloak. To Dela’s eye, it looked to be fashioned from a Jackal’s fur. The head of the beast encircled his own as a hood, the angular snout coming to a toothless point a few inches past his forehead. His arms were crossed over his chest, pushing the sides of his rough out enough to reveal a tattered and patched network of leather garments, ugly and indelicate, but which looked to be sturdy and thick. At his sides, an array of bone hooks much like her own supported various tools and weapons.

But what caught her eye most was the fiery array that spread out around him, stemming from the center of his back. Unlike those in her congregation, whose entities kept small and close and wrapped themselves around their humans, his spread all four of its ghostly appendages out behind him like crimson wings, swaying gently as though breathing or being brushed by the wind. If the congregations’ were simply alive, his was awake.

“Interesting,” the man mused. His voice was low and scratchy, as if from months or years of disuse. Dela realized she’d been staring at him for some time.

“Interesting?” she repeated. Who was this man? What was he doing out here? He’d been so close to their group… and she’d followed him out here. Alone. Had that been his plan?

The man shrugged, stepping off the wall and approaching her with footsteps too quiet to hear over the din of the storm. “I had expected another—”

“Bittersoul.”

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My Review

Bittersouls is a fantasy novel filled with adventure and romance. It's a unique story that will keep you invested until the very end. There are some twists and surprises along the way, and it was honestly not something I can remember ever reading before, in terms of similar style novels. I liked that about this book. The story follows Dela, a young woman with a dangerous secret. I say dangerous, because the nomadic tribe she is part of doesn't tolerate anyone having forbidden knowledge. When Dela gets separated from her tribe, she discovers not all is what it seems. That's all I can really say, as I don't want to spoil anything by saying too much. I will admit, the story was a little slow for me at first, and I wasn't sure I would be able to get into it. But once it got going, I found myself fully immersed thanks to the world-building and the fact that Dela soon becomes a very likable, relatable character. She's a strong female character readers will enjoy following on her journey. And while the story is YA, adults of all ages can read this and discover a well-written book that offers more than just the normal genre tropes found in a lot of other YA novels. If you're a fan of fantasy novels with great world-building, wonderful characters, and an engaging plot, give Bittersouls a whirl. 4.5 stars.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A life-long lover of the magic of storytelling, L.A. wrote his first story at the age of 7 and has been writing ever since. Speculative fiction, particularly fantasy, has always held a special place in his heart for the uniqueness of the places and the questions it can address. Though veiled by apparent strangeness, he has always seen it as capable of revealing deeper truth about our own reality. 

L.A. graduated from Montana State University in 2015 with Honors in Biochemistry and a minor in Music Composition. This helped nurture his critical thinking and research skills which continue to be instrumental to his writing.  During his collegiate years, he also met the love of his life, Julie, whom he later married. At once his greatest supporter and his staunchest critic (when he is wrong, which is more often than he’d like to admit), she has been an integral part of his creative process ever since.

In February of 2018, L.A. became the father of his first son, Griffin. His second son, Tiber, was born in December of 2019 and his third son, Malachi, was born in January of 2022. Though life has become considerably busier since he became a family man, L.A. continues to work on writing in what little spare time he can find. He hopes to one day pass on his love of literature to his sons.

Links:

Substack- lamortonyates.substack.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lamortonyates/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorlamortonyates

Twitter - https://twitter.com/lamortonyates

Buy on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQFLM7D4

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

L.A. Morton-Yates will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway