May 13, 2014
$16.99 [Hardcover Edition]
$7.99 US [Kindle Edition]
Hardcover: 288 pages
ISBN 978-0-385-74303-7 (0-385-74303-3)
Description
Raised by vampires, a shapeshifter learns that he may be a bloodwitch who possesses rare and destructive magic that the leader of the powerful Midnight empire seeks to control. (From Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov)
Synopsis
Vance Ehecatl was raised with every luxury he could imagine in a beautiful greenhouse within the powerful empire of Midnight. Vampires are the only guardians Vance has ever known since he was abandoned by his shapeshifter family as a baby quetzal, and he is grateful to them for generously providing for all of his needs. When an act of violence forces Vance from his sheltered home, he is startled to meet Malachi Obsidian, a fellow shapeshifter with conflicting ideas about Midnight and its leader, Mistress Jeshickah.
Malachi claims Vance is a bloodwitch, who Jeshickah and her trainers, Jaguar and Taro, are trying to control. Vance doesn’t know anything about the rare and destructive magic Malachi says he possesses, and he can’t believe Jeshickah would use it to hurt others. But when his friends begin falling ill, Vance starts to realize his perfect world may not be as flawless as it seems. Now Vance must decide who to trust-the vampires he’s always relied upon, or the shapeshifters who despise them.
Excerpt
My foot slipped again. I had been standing this way for a very long time. I could have slept on one of the perches higher up and been perfectly comfortable, but the steel one Lady Brina had provided near her canvas so I could model for her was slick under my talons. It was hard to find purchase and keep my balance.
I relaxed a little when I realized that Lady Brina was distracted, feeding. I still didn’t dare turn my head to look at her, but I could see shadows in my peripheral vision–two women, their forms made giant by the late-afternoon light. I had witnessed similar scenes often enough to know what they meant.
Lady Brina pushed her blood donor away. The second shadow stumbled, and I heard the scuff of a toe against the soft dirt ground. Moments later my shapeshifter friend Calysta crossed my view.
Calysta had promised to give me a dance lesson later, but now she would need to rest instead. I tried to squelch my disappointment. Lady Brina’s needs came before my wishes. I would have given her my own blood, if she had asked.
“You need to take a break,” Lord Daryl said to his sister.
I needed a break, too, but he wasn’t talking to me.
“I just did,” Lady Brina replied. I could hear the rattling that meant she was gathering her brushes and tools again.
“I mean you need rest,” he insisted. “Feeding is important, but so is sleep. You have been in here for two days straight.”
“The light is better in the day.”
“Two days and two nights. I just received the bill for the lamp oil you have burned.”
Lady Brina scoffed. I could picture her tossing her hair. It was sleek and black, and reflected every color of light that fell upon her.
“Kendra’s yuletide ball is in less than a week,” she said, sounding frustrated. If her brother could convince her to take a break, that would be nice. Normally I loved having her near. I loved seeing her, even when she ignored me. But the last day or so, she had been cranky. “She has promised me a place of honor for this piece, and I intend to make sure it is ready. I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course I understand.”
His voice was soft. I saw their shadows move as he gently removed the brushes and palette from her hands. “But without sleep, without feeding, without time to rest your eyes on something other than your canvas and oils, how can you possibly see your masterpiece anymore? You risk ruining it in your haste to perfect it.”
That argument was probably the only one that could have swayed her. She sighed and let Daryl put her tools aside.
Two years ago assistants had helped her erect this canvas, which was twice as high as I was tall, and even wider than that. Occasionally she worked on other, smaller pieces, but inevitably she returned to this massive work. She called it Tamoanchan.
I had never been allowed to look at the painting itself, but I had been honored weeks ago when she had asked–no, ordered–me to come model. Lady Brina never asked anything. That was fine, since I would never have refused her.
Lady Brina had been a frequent presence throughout my life. Even on the days when she failed to acknowledge me at all, which was most days, my beautiful little world seemed to shine brighter when she was around. When she smiled, pleased with the way a particular painting was going, or lay on the soft, dappled grass in the multicolored sunlight, it made my heart beat faster.
At that moment both shadows disappeared. The tingling sensation that always told me when one of their kind was present also faded.
I fluttered down to the ground, landing awkwardly because of my stupid tail plumes, which had recently started to lengthen and were now twice as long as my bird body. Not wanting to deal with them, I changed into human form quickly . . . though my human form wasn’t much better. Growth spurts had left my arms and legs feeling gangly, and even my dance lessons with Calysta couldn’t seem to make my limbs work gracefully.
I shook my head, and the leather cord that had been holding my hair back instantly fell out. Though my clothes always reappeared properly when I changed back to human form–trousers, shirt, and sleeveless waistcoat falling tidily into place–I inevitably ended up with a mess of burnt-umber hair in my face.
Pushing my hair back uselessly, I took a step toward the painting. I just wanted a peek. Lady Brina had never asked me to model before.
No.
I wasn’t supposed to. I wouldn’t violate her trust that way. Instead, I did my rounds, occupying my time with responsibilities I had neglected over the last two days as Lady Brina had worked on her painting.
I searched the ground for any fruit that had fallen, so it wouldn’t rot and befoul Lady Brina’s greenhouse, and then went to check the stream.
Water welled up on one side from the pores between several large stones, meandered across the greenhouse floor, and then disappeared on the opposite side through another grouping of boulders. The second set of rocks tended to collect debris like leaves, feathers, and misplaced paintbrushes, which I needed to clean out. This time of year the water was frigid when it first bubbled up, but it warmed as it passed over the white stones that lined the streambed. The symbols carved into those stones sparkled as the water flowed over them, creating a warm, golden glow even in the middle of the darkest night.
An animal’s shrill cry, carried by the breeze, caused me to lift and then shake my head. Though the glass walls let in plenty of light, even the white ones were so etched and frosted that it was impossible to see through them. The screens allowed gentle breezes to enter the greenhouse but were not conveniently placed for visibility. Sometimes I tried to peer through them, to get a glimpse of the world outside, but they were too high when I was in human form, there were no nearby perches, and my quetzal form did not hover well.
It didn’t matter. I had a beautiful world right here. Why did I need anything more?
In the Author’s Words
* An interesting bit about writing the Maeve’ra books is that they occur in the same time period as the Ebony Series, which is also a very important historical period to modern Nyeusigrube. As a result, I know a lot of the major events that need to happen, or where these characters will be- sometimes 10 or 20 or more years down the line. So I stare at them and wonder, “How the hell do we get there?” [1]
* I started writing Vance on December 27th [2009], and except for a couple breaks for a computer crash and packing to move, I had a goal of averaging 1k a day until it was done. Now I am mostly done with all three books, having approached them all with a kind of NaNo focus, since that was the only way I can tackle this period of Nyeusigrube’s history – if I throw myself into it, and don’t think about it too much. This means there is a whole lot of editing to go into this bunch.” [2]
Praise and Reviews for Bloodtraitor
“An intense cap on an already engrossing adventure. Atwater-Rhodes excels at multipart epics with complicated characters and histories, and fans will be sad to see this story end.” —Booklist
* Kirkus Review, March 12 2014 – https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/amelia-atwater-rhodes/bloodwitch/
Vance makes for a naïve, rather hyperconscious narrator, continually speculating as to who may be telling the truth and what their motives may be. With this series, the author takes inspiration from the mythology of ancient Mexico, basing names and spellings on Mayan and Aztec words. It’s clear that this installment is just a setup volume, and the plot to take Midnight down will span many characters and pages to come.
Plenty of fun ahead for the author’s many fans.
* Publishers Weekly, March 3 2014 – http://publishersweekly.com/978-0-385-74303-7
While this trilogy opener lacks some of the poetry and complexity of Atwater-Rhodes’s Kiesha’ra series, it effectively explores the perils of hierarchy and the importance of independent thought. Set in the author’s empire of Midnight in the year 1803, this coming-of-age tale introduces 14-year-old shape-shifter Vance, who idolizes the vampires who raised him. However, an exposition-heavy encounter with witty outcast Malachi Obsidian shows him that not everyone supports their slave-based empire. Though Vance’s initial naïveté frustrates, vivid secondary characters maintain interest; fans of Midnight Predator will enjoy the reappearance of Jeshickah, the whip-wielding vampire ruler of Midnight, and Jaguar, Vance’s irreverent mentor. As Vance moves in Jeshickah’s circles for the first time, he cannot ignore the slaves’ blighted lives, memorably illustrated when Jaguar instructs him to cut one to test his blood-linked magic. Midnight’s shape-shifter opponents are equally unscrupulous, using Vance as a plague vector to infect vampires and slaves alike. “[Y]es, I’m manipulating you,” Malachi admits. “I’m fairly certain that’s almost all that anyone does to you.” Agendas collide in an intrigue-filled, unpredictable climax.
Praise for the Maeve’ra trilogy:
“Atwater-Rhodes made a splash with her first novel. . . . Since then she has continued writing lush fantasies of fully realized, well-conceived worlds, and the first volume in the new Maeve’ra series is no exception.” —Booklist
“Edgy world building, with cultures and societies based loosely on real history, is compelling. This book is highly recommended for Atwater-Rhodes fans and urban fantasy or alternate reality readers.” —VOYA
“A satisfying read.” —SLJ
“Plenty of fun ahead for the author’s many fans.” —Kirkus Reviews
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References
[1] Nyeusigrube.com Forum – “Week 2: May 8 – May 14” May 12, 2010
http://nyeusigrube.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=3746&p=97595
[2] Nyeusigrube.com Forum – “Post-NaNo Encouragement/Commiseration” Dec 01, 2010
http://nyeusigrube.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=84&t=3907&p=99710
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