Defilement

The Afflicted Saga: Tale of the Fallen #3

by Katika Schneider

Demons have created a legend…

And they've resurrected Nessix to play a pivotal role in their vile scheme. Overpowered and imprisoned by her foes, the headstrong general is tasked with raising an army of fractured souls to march against the world she had died to protect.

Though Mathias has embarked on a worldwide quest to find her before the demons succeed in unleashing this army, Nessix isn't content to wait for a savior. The demons have greater plans for Abaeloth than simply disrupting the passage of souls, and she is determined to stop them. Bound to her master and burdened by cataclysmic memories that aren't her own, Nessix must align herself with the demon she hates most to ensure the safety of her new people and find an opportunity to save them all.

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 18, 2018

About the author

Fueled by bedtime stories of The Hobbit and The Last Unicorn and afternoons adventuring in the woods behind her rural Missouri home, the jump from epic fantasy reader to epic fantasy author was a natural transition for Katika. She discovered her love of writing in fourth grade writing workshop, and embraced this art from that point forward. Spending junior high learning the ups and downs of style development via DragonLance fan fiction, she began crafting her own stories in high school, winning local writing competitions. Happiest when wordsmithing, she enrolled in creative writing courses in college and was told fantasy "wasn't creative fiction." This led her to seek alternative writing wisdom and heavily shaped her indie author ideals.

Kat accidentally discovered her world of Abaeloth in 2003 when creating a character for an RPG. This character shared her life story from birth to death and everything in between. With nothing left to game with, the only logical option was to begin writing so Nessix could live outside of Kat's mind. Devotion, the first book of Tale of the Fallen, was published in 2016 and three more series within the encompassing Afflicted Saga are currently drafted.

Today, Katika still considers rural Missouri home and lives on a farm with her supportive husband and their assortment of special needs animals. She forewent veterinary school due to unplanned life circumstances, and now spends her non-writing time playing with her dog, riding her horses, and drowning in garden gnomes.

Katika strives to draw on the brilliance of the fantasy classics to craft and deliver epic tales reminiscent to those told in the genre's golden age. It is among her most sincere hopes that you fall in love with Abaeloth and those who call it home as deeply as she has.

Reviews

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nessix returns to the spotlight in strong form. The general finds herself alone and captured in the heart of enemy territory and brilliantly adapts in ways to make the best of a bad situation. She literally has her enemy at each others throats, begins to turn their own future army against themselves, all while she plots a way to escape, and adapting to a newfound power. Katika Schneider doesn't let off on the intrigue that made her earlier books so fascinating either. The cunning and strength of the heroine reborn takes center stage all the way until the end.

The story also starts to open readers up to the wider world Schneider has created for the readers. Her deities and mortals dynamics are an interesting area to explore, not to mention the introduction of some new and future villains. Something for possibly later in the series? Defilement is a great addition to the series that keeps you wanting more.

[Victoria Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much! It was very hard to put the book down! This book as beautifully tied in with the previous two books with a few new twists I didn’t see coming! The general has to find a way out of the hells and finds some interesting allies in the process. In this book you find out more about the demons and where they came from. This adds a new complex level to the world we had come to know. What’s going to happen to the general now? What other surprises will we find out about thanks to this link she has with Kol? I can’t wait for book 4!

[Amy Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tension ramps up in this one as Nessix really comes into her own. Lots of insight into new and old characters. The story really drives forwards and keeps on on tenterhooks until the end (and then some!). Lots of fist-pump moments. 72 stars out of 5.

[R.J.Presher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series. Can't wait for the next one !