Masquerade's Moon (Blood and Snow)

Blood and Snow #5-8

by RaShelle Workman

"Lips red as rubies, hair dark as night. Drink your true love's blood, become the Vampire, Snow White."

EVERY THOUSAND YEARS THE VAMPIRE QUEEN SELECTS A NEW BODY, ALWAYS THE FAIREST IN THE LAND, AND THIS TIME SHE'S CHOSEN SNOW WHITE.

Prey and Magic: When blood is all you crave, is there even a choice?

Masquerade's Moon: Professor Pops throws Snow White a Masquerade Ball for her sixteenth birthday. A war is brewing and her party may be the battle ground.

Seal of Gabriel: There are seven magical properties in the Seal of Gabriel. Snow learns how the Seal was created.

Telltale Kisses: Finding out who you are can be difficult, especially if you're a teenage girl who's become a vampire. Snow White discovers why she was sent back to Silindra's time. She also receives several kisses, possibly even one from her true love.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Fiction, Supernatural, Romance, Ebooks

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

RaShelle Workman is an international bestselling author of reimagined fairy tales, supernatural suspense, paranormal cozies, and more. Her novels have been listed on multiple bestseller lists, including her Blood and Snow series (now Seven Magics Academy), which has sold more than a million copies worldwide. In addition, three of her books have been translated into Turkish.

When RaShelle isn't writing, she enjoys baking, creating new taco recipes and hanging with family. She lives in Utah with her husband, three children, and their dogs.

Find her online by visiting her website at: www.rashelleworkman.org. And sign up for her newsletter to receive free books and get information on book release dates: http://eepurl.com/chMcej.

Books by RaShelle Workman:

BROOMSTICK BAY COZY MYSTERIES
Zucchini Cake & Zombies
Wedding Cake & Werewolves (coming 6/23)
Vanilla Cake & Vampires (coming 10/23)

EERIE VALLEY SUPERNATURALS
Undercover Reaper
Twice Reaped
Reapers Creepers
Deadly Reaper (coming 4/24)

FABLE TOWN MYSTERIES
Iced Raspberry Cookies and a Curse

FAIRY ACADEMY
Hidden Princess
Broken Curse
Stolen Magic

THE FAIRYTALE CHRONICLES
Royal Selection
Royal Contract
Royal Keeper (coming 12/23)
Royal Everlasting (coming 2024)

DEMONLAND SERIES
Alice in Demonland
Alice Fights Demonland
Alice Takes Demonland
Alice Ignites Demonland

BEASTLY SERIES
A Beauty so Beastly

WOLF BLOOD ACADEMY
Initiation
Inheritance
Induction

MAGIC BLOOD ACADEMY
Elemental Outcast Games: Fire
Elemental Outcast Games: Water
Elemental Outcast Games: Earth
Elemental Outcast Games: Air
Elemental Outcast Games: Shadow
Elemental Outcast Games: Monster

VAMPIRE BLOOD ACADEMY
Vampire in Training (coming 8/2023)
Monster Trials (coming 9/2023
End Times (coming 9/23)

SEVEN MAGICS ACADEMY
Blood and Snow
Fate and Magic
Queen of the Vampires
Deadly Witch
Royal Witch
Vampire Lies
Vampire Secrets
Vampires and Dragons
Vampires and Gargoyles
Vampire Magics

ETERNALLY ENTANGLED
Eternally Entangled
Thoroughly Tousled
Infinitely Intertwined

PARANORMAL INQUIRIES
Ghoulish Whisper

IMMORTAL ESSENCE
Exiled
Destined

ACROSS THE AGES
Goddess Curse
Mystical Gift

__________

Ann Hardy ~ Sizzling Sweet Romance
Most Eligible Cowboy
Happily Ever Summer
Rockstar Billionaire
Billionaire Best Man
Faking it With the Billionaire
Dating the Billionaire
The Betting Billionaire
The Country Singer's Billionaire
The Prideful Billionaire
Totally Scrooged


Reviews

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I expected it, and come on it's the story of Snow White so I should have known anyways, but seriously! My heart just broke a little. And there's no way I'm going to be able to read Cindy's story without a whole lot of bitterness. I mean I think Gabe could have had a better story dealt to him. Though I could whine for a very long time over such a trivial matter I have to say I enjoyed these four novellas just as much as the first four. I'm not going to lie this story is beyond weird, but I'm still addicted. I especially got weirded out when Snow went back in time...I mean that was some weird stuff. And the way vampires used to look, ew! I'm ready for Snow to kick some butt. So let's get to that.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked these books. I think I said it before, but these books even made me like Snow White. I don't quite understand why they all had to have the Disney fairytale character names though.

[Cher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better

There was a time or three where I found myself wondering, "What the heck? Is this actually the same book?" Thought I must be daft.
I'm happy to have continued reading, I enjoyed this set more than the first. I had no idea what would happen next. There was so much revealed in the overall scheme of things. Looking forward to the last Boxed set.

[Jamie Jowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

Another great book! Can't wait to get the 3rd & last book in this series & read all the others by Mrs Workman! Great author!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masquerade’s Moon

Wonderful continuation of the first Show and Blood Boxed Set 1. It’s straight to the story with no sidetracking and repetition of what has already happened.

[Jessica Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick reads

Each book in the set is a quick read. I am loving the series and the twists and turns. Each creature portrayed is unique unto itself

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a great book to read

[Ludovica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume in the Blood and Snow series was definitely the best one in my opinion – mainly because it really explored the fairy tale background the whole series is based on. There is far more magic, more creatures, more fairy land – and even a time hop back into a prehistoric time when the world was basically a High Fantasy wet dream and vampires were primates with angel faces and wings (well, at least the first vampires were). The very interesting concept of a vampire-led fantasy world that has been introduced in the first volume is really brought home here, and there were quite a few things I loved about this book (although I really got annoyed halfway through – more about that later).

This book starts where the last one ended – with Snow having ‘killed’ Gabe and on the run. By now she has been drinking human blood – and she seems to be quite an adapt hunter at that. We finally get a little more information on the Vampire Queen, and Snow begins to question whether Kenmei and Professor Pops (still a ridiculous nickname, sorry) were telling the whole truth, which is great because it makes the whole story just so much more complex!

We also learn, once Snow is back home, that Gabe isn’t dead – of course – and that he is a so called ‘chayot’, which is some kind of… angel? This part honestly annoyed me quite a bit – apparently the chayot are ‘sacred’, but who are they sacred to? There is no deity in this book, so how the fuck can chayot be sacred? (And they are pretty fucking smug about it too.)

This part just didn’t make a lot of sense, even though it gave us a small-time second antagonist who gets killed pretty much right away, but who at least facilitates Snow’s falling asleep. And since Snow has a magical amulet by now, she gets pulled back into a Time Before Time kind of fantasy world – and the next chapters are told from the view of the last Vampire Queen, Silindra, who was MAJORLY cooler than the modern Vampire Queen. First of all, she’s an old-school vampire with fur and long arms and wings, and as we join her on her quest to create the magical amulet that has pulled Snow back through time, we get to know her world, which is inhabited by super cliché Elves, hardly appearing Fairies, lazy dragons, REALLY cool trolls, cute little things with the stupid name ‘pixelettes’ and literally the most annoying unicorn you could imagine.
This unicorn’s name is Envy, and it’s all super cute and everything – until it opens its mouth. I swear I was never THAT annoyed at a horse character before. Let me just give you some quotes:

“Devoran left Crystal City earlier today. I’m so sorry, apologetic, remorseful.”

“He’s gone to make peace, return their harmony, make an accord.”

“The pixilette drank a lot of watermelon juice. She’s probably sleeping it off, feeling woozy, hungover”

“Am I right, correct, assured?”

“You can have mine as soon as it’s fully grown, developed, supplanted.”

This is literally the worst abuse of a thesaurus I have ever seen – and most of these words don’t even mean the same thing??? What is ‘Am I assured’ supposed to mean??? And ‘supplanted’ is just a completely different word from the other things and makes absolutely zero sense.

Dear Miss Workman, why did you have to ruin UNICORNS???

But to be honest, I liked Silindra too much to stop reading, give up on the book, deny the story, just because of the annoying unicorn. Her ending was heartbreaking – and I really did get the feeling that Snow grew a lot as a person from this experience, which also really makes this book the best in the series for me.

Another thing that I really liked about this book where the interludes between Snow’s sleep-time traveling, when she would ‘wake up’ just enough to hear people around her talk. There is a lot of plot going on in just a few lines of monologues and dialogues, and I really think that this shows that the author has huge talent, even though she still has a bit of a problem with her over-exact descriptions and strange dialogues (see my review to book 1).

I can’t quite bring myself to give the book 5 stars, because it’s still not quite what I’d consider a five-star-book, but it is definitely entertaining enough for 4 stars.

[Phaedra Seabolt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 5: A huge change has occurred in Snow White. After believing that she killed Gabe just after they had just rekindled their friendship, Snow runs away. She believes she is a true monster, which isn't that far from the truth. Once she drank human blood, she made the complete transition to being a vampire. She allows herself to become exactly what she feared, but maintained the rules that Professor Pops, Gabe's adoptive father and adoptive father of the other six guy friends of hers, have her in order to not kill humans. During her adventure in baptism, she is swept away to the Vampire Queen's realm. This is an eye-opening experience that ends up returning her home. Another shocking ending, but this one made me very happy.

Book 6: Snow White's 16th birthday is finally here. In the beginning of this series, Professor Pops practically begged her to let him throw huge party which she agreed to simply because she hadn't ever had a real birthday party that she could remember. Well, we found out later Professor Pops knew of Snow White's destiny. He knew she would probably be turned into a revenant, but he believed it wouldn't happen until after her 16th birthday. Unfortunately, Snow is special and was turned months too soon. What was meant be a part where Pops and his boys could protect her turned into a party of supernatural creatures. Snow controls her bloodlust well, but can't keep from defending herself from a group of chayot that come to kill now that she is a vampire. How can she stay alive when the world's oldest Angel-like creature is determined to destroy her? How will Gabe react to his father and what he is supposed to be destined to do? The plot is thickening and now Snow White must decide who the good guys really are.

Book 7: This book is written very differently from the other six. In the end of Masquerade's Moon, Snow White has been sliced open by the sword of a chayot. In the process, the seal of Gabriel (a powerful necklace) obliterates the chayot and somehow embeds itself into Snow White. This book is all about how the seal of Gabriel was created. It just happens to also be written with Snow in some kind of magical coma. Most of the story is told from Silindra's perspective. Silindra was the original vampire queen until her twin sister got greedy for power. She created the seal, but this book leads you to believe that she actually did it with Snow White's help. Snow seems to be trapped in Silindra's head, helping to create the seal. What will become of Snow White is still unknown. We know the seal of Gabriel was successfully created, but will she ever wake up? Will she be able to restore the balance of magic in the modern world? There are a lot of unanswered questions.

Book 8: Book eight is written in the same perspective/style as book seven. The majority of the story is from Silindra's perspective with brief glimpses into what is happening to Snow during modern time. We get to learn a lot of history about how modern vampires came to be, how magic in the world has changed, and how the Vampire Queen took control. We also learn that Snow White really has a Destiny even though she tried to deny it a few books ago. The seal of Gabriel really was made for her, but also in a way made by her. This is why it was absorbed into her body putting her in the coma-like state she has been in for the last two years. A lot has changed in her world while she slept. Everyone she loved has tried to wake her with a kiss, but one possibly succeeds. The question is, was this a kiss from her one true love being a part of her destiny or just a coincidence?

[Avardsin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series, truly. I like how she is more accepting of her nature instead of shying away or denying her nature.

When i finished the first 4 books, i brought 5-8 in haste for £1.91, This was my mistake. You can purchase the complete set for £2.66 (least at the time of reviewing) and I would have saved on money. It also says that it contains bonus materiel. So just now (after finishing 5-8) I have purchased the full series 1-12 for £2.66. Buying the boxsets individually costs £4.67 (£0.77, £1.91, £1.99) i could have saved myself money.

Prices above is based on Amazon UK at time of writing. I suggest you look at the prices and see if you can save money by buying the complete boxset even if you did originally buy 1-4.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read these books in groups of four since they are so short. Four of them is like one book. So, I picked up these 4 and now I must wait for the conclusion.

Anyway, this is a great continuation of the story. I really enjoy the take on Snow White and the twist to the story. I have noticed that I'm starting to get annoyed with the story, but that is because I know exactly how I want this story to play out and I don't have any answers as to whether my way or some alternative way is going to happen.

That said, I still recommend this series. It truly is a great re-do of a classic fairy tale with some paranormal/fantasy elements thrown in. Love it.

[Sualen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Filling

I felt more drawn into the story with the first set. Not so much with this one. The flashback - THAT was interesting and what better way to learn the truth that started it all than being there watching it happen. Vol 5 - 8 are the filling.

As much as I enjoy reading fantasy, I'm reading this to know what my girls will be reading if they should choose to read it before I share the series with them...so far so good. On to the ending set.

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second book in the Blood and Snow series. So far it is still pretty good although was a little confusing when Snow was in the Vampire Queens mind in the past. At first I was thinking she was in the current Vampire Queen's mind but I was able to figure it out. I do really like how the author doesn't make it super obvious as to who is Snow's true love. I find my guess changing frequently while reading.

[Jenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was much like the first. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I can't really put my finger on what sucks me in either but yet here I find myself strongly debating on downloading book 3. There's really no conclusion so it's hard to resist doing so lol! Snow has really grown and it is not the same girl she was in book 1.

[Sherry Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pace is really fast in these stories. Snow's 16th birthday is approaching and so is her becoming the Vampire Queen. Gabe suddenly discovers he's a vampire hunter, Cindi discovers she's a witch, Snow needs to find the Seal of Gabriel and all of this is leading to a climax. Just not in this set off stories. Delightful fun.

[Polly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in the series!

It was definitely worth reading but I find myself willing to search out and pay whatever is required to continue the series and get some closure. Another great book and still relatively clean but I would say it's a little more "intimate" than the first book. I might consider letting my 15 year old read it.

[Amber]

Addicted to Blood and Snow

For such a short set of stories, this series is amazing. I love the retelling of Snow White as a vampire. I just wish the stories were longer and didn't end in such big cliffhangers.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an enjoyable effortless read. Which is nice, and relaxing in a way.
I enjoy the style, even though it can drive me crazy in bits where it's poorly written, while it's also charming. Yes, I know, I'm a weirdo.
And since I'm curious I'll keep reading.

[Jeanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiting for the next installment!

[RaShelle Workman · Rating 5 out of 5]

All four volumes for $.99. Don't forget there's a season 2 coming soon.

[Lalabikida Poppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting twists of love, betrayal, and magic.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

good!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am thoroughly enjoying this series! The twists and turns never stop!

[Jeovonnii Pryor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page Turner

Couldn't put my kindle down!!!! So glad I already purchased the volumes 9/12. I'm stopping only long enough to write this review

[Lgatliffyahoo.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

This set did not disappoint. Still hooked and going to get the next set.

[Marla Riedling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story. It's very well written.

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fun, easy read.

[Toni ~married to a hunk~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great part to the story.

[Christina Guinasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was much better than the first volume. Very interesting character development and story plot.

[Jenni McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed but not as much as the first set. Still had the need to finish the series.