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The Ruby Curse
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes... though they're not usually escaped convicts.
Just like seventeen-year-old Violet Seymour, whose got a criminal record so thick you could use it as a doorstop. Being the only person to ever escape the highest maximum security prison in the steam-and-clockwork powered nation of Arcova, everyone and their mother wants Violet's head on a plate. So when Violet is suddenly thrust into a heroic role, being a link in an ancient bloodline of heroes, she's a teensie bit skeptic.
But Violet isn't the only one with problems, no matter how much she likes to think so. Mages are disappearing left and right, over a dozen have disappeared over a short amount of time. There are whispers that it's got something to do with the disappearance of the Ruby Scourge, an artifact from the ancient world. It's the perfect start to Violet's new career as a hero!
Too bad her primary concern is looking out for number one, and she only embraces this whole "hero" thing when she can get something out of it
Just like seventeen-year-old Violet Seymour, whose got a criminal record so thick you could use it as a doorstop. Being the only person to ever escape the highest maximum security prison in the steam-and-clockwork powered nation of Arcova, everyone and their mother wants Violet's head on a plate. So when Violet is suddenly thrust into a heroic role, being a link in an ancient bloodline of heroes, she's a teensie bit skeptic.
But Violet isn't the only one with problems, no matter how much she likes to think so. Mages are disappearing left and right, over a dozen have disappeared over a short amount of time. There are whispers that it's got something to do with the disappearance of the Ruby Scourge, an artifact from the ancient world. It's the perfect start to Violet's new career as a hero!
Too bad her primary concern is looking out for number one, and she only embraces this whole "hero" thing when she can get something out of it
375 pages, ebook
First published July 20, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 9, 2012
I've only just started appreciating steampunk as a genre, so maybe I'm not the best one to review this from the perspective of a steampunk fan but having read The Ruby Curse I'm actually quite intrigued by the genre. I've read a few over the last six months but I admit my opinions were soured by the whole Batman thing which I found ludicrous and poorly done from the perspective of world building.That being said, I'm a stickler for realism when it comes to building worlds, if you want to break the laws of physics then do it but do it consistently and don't throw in silly little gadgets just for product placement value.
The world of The Ruby Curse is not one of those kinds of worlds. It's actually well thought out. Makayla has put a good amount of research into creating her fictional world, there could have been more detail but I would put that down to the size of the book, perhaps a larger novel would have given her time to expand her world and give it more colour.
The story revolves around an escaped convict, Violet who discovers that not only is she one in a long list of heroes but she's also crucial to unlocking the reason behind the disappearance of the mages. Along the way she is shackled to Ethan, a do gooder cop, and Aurora, a blind mage. This unlikely trio is helped by Aurora's cat, Nox and Violet's dog, Morrigan. The trouble starts almost straight away when Violet acting true to form refuses to play along as hero, not unless there's something in it for her. She's not your traditional hero, more the antihero, a teenage squalling brat who does whatever it takes to get what she wants when she wants. Ethan seems dragged along behind and Aurora looks to be the only one with the courage to slap her down now and then. It ends on a cliff hanger so I can only assume and hope that we see a sequel as I was really getting into it.
I found Violet to be an interesting character who might actually mellow and she probably has to if she's going to hold my interest. There are times I want to slap her down. Ethan looks a little too tame for her but maybe with a little more work he too can be a little tougher. The most fascinating character for me was Aurora who seems more in control of herself.
Overall it's a good read and a good start to a series. Character development over the next book, or two, will be the key but it's a great introduction to Arcova. We need a little more colour and detail about Arcova instead of being yanked along behind Violet and her comrades. It helps to draw breath now and then and take a good look around before facing the next obstacle. I think that's my one problem with the book, it wasn't long enough. Worlds like that take a little more time to unfold and you need the luxury of a longer word count to do that properly. But as I mentioned before it's a great start and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Violet, Ethan, and Aurora in the sequel.
Well done!
The world of The Ruby Curse is not one of those kinds of worlds. It's actually well thought out. Makayla has put a good amount of research into creating her fictional world, there could have been more detail but I would put that down to the size of the book, perhaps a larger novel would have given her time to expand her world and give it more colour.
The story revolves around an escaped convict, Violet who discovers that not only is she one in a long list of heroes but she's also crucial to unlocking the reason behind the disappearance of the mages. Along the way she is shackled to Ethan, a do gooder cop, and Aurora, a blind mage. This unlikely trio is helped by Aurora's cat, Nox and Violet's dog, Morrigan. The trouble starts almost straight away when Violet acting true to form refuses to play along as hero, not unless there's something in it for her. She's not your traditional hero, more the antihero, a teenage squalling brat who does whatever it takes to get what she wants when she wants. Ethan seems dragged along behind and Aurora looks to be the only one with the courage to slap her down now and then. It ends on a cliff hanger so I can only assume and hope that we see a sequel as I was really getting into it.
I found Violet to be an interesting character who might actually mellow and she probably has to if she's going to hold my interest. There are times I want to slap her down. Ethan looks a little too tame for her but maybe with a little more work he too can be a little tougher. The most fascinating character for me was Aurora who seems more in control of herself.
Overall it's a good read and a good start to a series. Character development over the next book, or two, will be the key but it's a great introduction to Arcova. We need a little more colour and detail about Arcova instead of being yanked along behind Violet and her comrades. It helps to draw breath now and then and take a good look around before facing the next obstacle. I think that's my one problem with the book, it wasn't long enough. Worlds like that take a little more time to unfold and you need the luxury of a longer word count to do that properly. But as I mentioned before it's a great start and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Violet, Ethan, and Aurora in the sequel.
Well done!
August 15, 2012
I had the pleasure of beta reading this little gem. And to be honest, I've read a few debut novels that were good, but never came close to this!
The story is from the point of view of Violet, an escaped convict who finds out she's from a long line of heroes and she's next in line to play the role. Something she really wants to avoid at all costs, preferring a life of solitude with her one and only best friend of the four-legged furry variety. But when Ethan and soon there after Aurora join her and she's coerced into the role of hero. But don't worry, Violet's got a plan and playing hero isn't apart of it. Well, maybe just until it pads her pockets enough to disappear.
Set in the world of steam punk fantasy, Makayla Yokley has woven a thrilling tale of adventure with complex characters that bring the story to life and makes you forget that you are reading the story instead of watching it unfold before you.
NOTE: This review will appear on other sites as necessary including www.samanthalafantasie.com and soon, Amazon.
The story is from the point of view of Violet, an escaped convict who finds out she's from a long line of heroes and she's next in line to play the role. Something she really wants to avoid at all costs, preferring a life of solitude with her one and only best friend of the four-legged furry variety. But when Ethan and soon there after Aurora join her and she's coerced into the role of hero. But don't worry, Violet's got a plan and playing hero isn't apart of it. Well, maybe just until it pads her pockets enough to disappear.
Set in the world of steam punk fantasy, Makayla Yokley has woven a thrilling tale of adventure with complex characters that bring the story to life and makes you forget that you are reading the story instead of watching it unfold before you.
NOTE: This review will appear on other sites as necessary including www.samanthalafantasie.com and soon, Amazon.
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