The Neumarian Chronicles
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Title:
Weighted
Series:
The Neumarian Chronicles
Author:
Ciara Knight
Publication:
August 18th,
2012
Pages:
42
Synopsis
The
Great War of 2185 is over, but my nightmare has just begun. I am
being held captive in the Queen’s ship awaiting interrogation. My
only possible ally is the princess, but I’m unsure if she is really
my friend or a trap set by the Queen to fool me into sharing the
secret of my gift. A gift I keep hidden even from myself. It swirls
inside my body begging for release, but it is the one thing the Queen
can never discover. Will I have the strength to keep the secret? I’ll
know the answer soon. If the stories are true about the
interrogators, I’ll either be dead or a traitor to my people by
morning.
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weighted-ciara-knight/1112558164?ean=2940045713030
Title: Escapement
Series: The Neumarian Chronicles
Author: Ciara Knight
Publication: February 26th,
2013
Pages: 337
Synopsis
Ten
years after the great war of 2185 the queen’s reign is threatened
by uprisings and fear. In celebration of my sixteenth birthday it is
my duty as princess to sacrifice a slave to be initiated into the
ruling council, solidifying my mother’s empire. When my own erratic
powers surface I’m captured and tried for treason. Slaves hate me,
my mother wants me executed, and my only chance of survival rests in
the hands of a young man, Ryder Arteres, whose sister I sentenced to
death.
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/escapement-ciara-knight/1119370316?ean=2940045855693
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Title:
Pendulum
Series:
The Neumarian Chronicles
Author:
Ciara Knight
Publication:
December 2nd,
2013
Pages:
364
Synopsis
Haunting
memories.
Terrifying dreams.
Crippling lies.
Trapped in a world of deception, my sanity rests with the love of Ryder Arteres and our renegade friends. Six months of scouring the ocean floor in a rebel ship fleeing our homeland, delivers us to a possible alliance with the opportunistic European Council. Our only hope is to utilize our forbidden gifts to free our people from slavery, proving our worth. But when a trusted ally turns traitor and a new breed of the queen’s weaponry is revealed, I’m forced to face the terror of my past to save our crumbling future.
Terrifying dreams.
Crippling lies.
Trapped in a world of deception, my sanity rests with the love of Ryder Arteres and our renegade friends. Six months of scouring the ocean floor in a rebel ship fleeing our homeland, delivers us to a possible alliance with the opportunistic European Council. Our only hope is to utilize our forbidden gifts to free our people from slavery, proving our worth. But when a trusted ally turns traitor and a new breed of the queen’s weaponry is revealed, I’m forced to face the terror of my past to save our crumbling future.
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pendulum-ciara-knight/1117054016?ean=9781939081049
Title:
Balance
Series:
The Neumarian Chronicles
Author:
Ciara Knight
Publication:
April 28th,
2014
Pages:
266
Synopsis
Life
on a war-ravaged Earth is a dying experience. Finally, after years of
tyranny, the rebellion rises. Once I rescue my fiancé Ryder Arteres,
I, and the rebel general, will fight to free our people. In a war
where alliances shift and friends betray one another, will the final
battle prove the truth of the prophecy the queen has so feared—her
death—or will I lose everyone I love?
Author Bio
Ciara Knight writes
to 'Defy the Dark' with speculative fiction books. Her Amazon #1
bestselling series, The Neumarian Chronicles has received acclaimed
reviews and awards. Escapement, book I, is a Rone award nominee
and Pendulum,
book II, scored 4 stars from RT Book Reviews, accolades from InD’Tale
Magazine, received a Night Owl Top Pick and is a Rone award finalist.
Her young adult paranormal series, Battle for Souls, received 5 stars
from Paranormal Romance Guild, is a Night Owl’s Top Pick and won
Book of the Month at Long and Short Reviews.
When not writing,
she enjoys reading all types of fiction. Some great literary
influences in her life include Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, Francine
Rivers and J K Rowling.
Her first love,
besides her family, reading, and writing, is travel. She's backpacked
through Europe, visited orphanages in China, and landed in a
helicopter on a glacier in Alaska.
Ciara is extremely
sociable and can be found at Facebook @ciaraknightwrites, Twitter
@ciaratknight, Goodreads, Pinterest, and her website ciaraknight.com.
Author Links
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ciaratknight
Website: http://www.ciaraknight.com/
Excerpts
Escapement Excerpt
The
door swung open and four guards entered before Dred stormed in.
“Malvak orders ya all to the platform now.”
My
stomach flopped. “No. It hasn’t been an hour.”
“Malvak’s
orders changed.”
“You
said they’d be spared,” Ryder argued.
“They
be ordered to watch.”
Dred’s
words stung like a laser through my heart. “No, please. You can’t.
It’s too soon.”
Ryder
still clutched one arm and wouldn’t let me go. “Semara, listen to
me.”
“No,
I won’t. This isn’t going to happen. I’ll tell Malvak who I am
and order your release.”
“Not
wise.” Dred shoved the key into Ryder’s cell door.
I
had to do something, anything to stop this.
“We
need you, Semara. You’re the only one left in this war-torn world
who can protect Raeth. Please, I promised my folks before they were
murdered I’d take care of her. Once I’m gone—”
“Don’t
say that.” Tears stung my eyes and I wanted to pull him against me
and disappear.
Ryder
reached through the bars and held the back of my head so our
foreheads touched. “Once I’m gone, you are her only family.”
“Enough,
it’s time,” Dred ordered.
The
guards rushed into the cell, bound Ryder’s wrists, and dragged him
from the cell. One guard grabbed Raeth by the arm and did the same to
me. Dred stood at the outside of my cell, door open, waiting for me
to exit.
“I
did all I could,” Dred said with a heavy, deep tone. He bound my
wrists and stepped back. “Sorry, Malvak ordered—”
“You
could do more. Trust me, you’ll regret this later. You’ll go to
sleep each night with Ryder’s face haunting your dreams. I’m
still tortured by making a wrong choice when I was only twelve.”
I
shoved past him and went out to the center of town. Acid rose in my
throat at the sight of the noose hanging from a wood beam. It had to
be wood. If it had been metal, I could’ve melted it and bought some
more time.
Maybe
I could try Ryder’s plan and incapacitate Dred before he stopped
me, then get his gun and take a few down. If we could find cover and
some metal we’d have a chance.
I
watched Dred out of the corner of my eye as we approached the
platform.
“Don’t
try it, pretty face. I’ve trained for years to be a faster draw
with me powers. Ya don’t stand a chance. All you’ll accomplish is
ya own death.”
I
lifted my chin, determined to fight. “I can’t stand by and watch
him die.”
“Ya
don’t have a choice. None of us do,” Dred insisted.
“You
do. Let me use my powers and the three of us escape. Otherwise,
you’ll have innocent blood on your hands.” I pleaded.
Wind
whipped through the village. Creaks echoed from the skywalks. Water
swished through the steel waterways above. Cannons and barbed wire
lined an exterior wall. It was a fortress.
Mother
had been right to fear them. Even if I freed Ryder, how could we get
out? I suspected the walls were electrified. Maybe I could short out
the wires, but I’d need Raeth’s help to demolish the wall.
Even
if we managed to break through the wall, then what? We’d have to
get a ship and figure out where we were.
There
had to be a way to save him. I had to be missing something.
A
horn sounded and people came out of homes and buildings, flooding the
street to watch Ryder’s execution. Didn’t they see they were no
better than the council?
I
wrung my hands and pulled at my rope bindings that rubbed my skin
raw.
The
smell of animals and desert sand carried on the wind.
A
tall man appeared on one of the skywalks with a fluffy cape of animal
fur lining his huge frame. I couldn’t make out his features, but he
definitely had a tattoo running across his forehead. A reflection of
sunlight off his face indicated some piercings.
“This
here Neumarian is charged with bringing the council’s wrath to our
land. Do we wish to sacrifice our way of life and be enslaved to the
council?”
“No,”
the crowd yelled back as if in a trance.
“Terminate
the prisoner and send his body as a gift to the queen.”
“No!”
I cried out and ran for the platform. “You’re wrong. We only wish
to go in peace. The queen doesn’t know we’re here. We brought a
gift!”
I
ran up the steps, but a guard snagged my hair, knocking me down so
hard the wood cracked against my shoulder. A pain shot down my arm.
Ryder shouldered the man and raced to my side. “Semara, please,
don’t do this.”
“I
can’t watch you die,” I managed through sobs.
The
guards tore us apart and placed Ryder on top of a box.
I
fought with all my strength and drew heat from my core to my hands,
but the mind splitting pain made me collapse. I lay on the floor of
the platform forced to watch the noose being secured around his neck.
“Proceed
with the execution.”
The
guard kicked the box out from under Ryder and the rope snapped tight
around his throat.
Pendulum Excerpt
Ryder tipped my chin
up and pressed a kiss to my forehead. At feeling his suppressed
desire and longing, I nuzzled his neck, seeking more, wanting to
touch him, not through his uniform but his bare skin.
“Shh. You need
sleep. Nightmares have been keeping you up. You’re exhausted. Wish
I could be there to hold you through them, but we should arrive at
the ENR base soon. It’s been too long.” His hand slipped to the
nape of my neck. “Once we reach land, no one will keep us apart.”
Heat surged to my
face and I leaned into his hands. “Nightmares? How did you…oh,
your sister. Great. Guess Raeth can’t keep a secret.” I knew
Raeth only told her brother out of concern, but I’d still chastise
my best friend when I got back to my room.
“She just
confirmed what I’d felt through our bond.” Ryder drew a circle
around the tip of my nose with his. “What you been dreaming’
about?”
His closeness
weakened my resolve to keep it from him. He’d think I was crazy.
“Tell me,” he
urged, brushing his lips across mine in a feather-light touch.
My breath hitched
and the memories of beatings and torture faded when his thumb glided
down my cheek. “It doesn’t matter. Kiss me.”
His lips claimed
mine with a too long-suppressed urgency. He needed and wanted me as
much as I did him. If we didn’t make it to land soon, they’d have
mutiny on their hands.
I inhaled his scent,
absorbing it into my soul. Even after all this time beneath the sea,
a hint of Earth remained and I savored the aroma. He’d always smell
the same to me. A musky, earthy smell, with a hint of freedom. The
aroma wrapped around my body like a shield of strength.
Steps thumped down
the corridor and he broke the kiss. “Tell me. Before we have to
go.”
I panted and shook
my head. From the moment we’d met, he twisted me up inside until
I’d share whatever he wanted to know. “Images mostly. My mother,
my father. I never see his face, but I see hers.” I suppressed a
shudder. “None of it makes sense. It’s almost like I feel
physical pain, but I can’t see the memory.”
Ryder’s eyes
narrowed. “What’s Gordon been doing to you during those
sessions?”
“Gordon? Nothing.
He’s been helping me remember things. He says I’ve been
reprogrammed. He’s trained in opening the mind back up and he
thinks I could remember something that would help the rebellion.”
Ryder glanced down
the hall. “Maybe so, but I don’t like you suffering. Mighty easy
for him to push you into helping. But you need to know when to back
off. You been training so much and been working with Captain Gordon,
you haven’t gotten any rest.”
“Maybe that’s
because I don’t want to.” I stared up at him. “I’m
frightened, Ryder. Terrified my mother’s programmed me into being
some kind of weapon.”
“I won’t let
that happen.” He kissed me again then rested his forehead against
mine. “We, just the two of us, need to find some time alone.”
I struggled to stay
calm, to not let my frustration and jealousy out. I failed. “The
last time I tried to take some time off, you were busy with Mart and
her training.
Can’t you train with someone else, like me? Why does it always have
to be her?”
“Jealous?” The
side of his lip quirked up into a teasing grin.
Yes!
“No! No more than you are of Gordon.”
He straightened, his
hand moving down from my neck to my lower back. “Let’s not do
this. It’s late. I don’t want to argue.” Hugging me, he lifted
me into the air until I was at eye level then he nuzzled my neck.
“Rather do other things with you than fight.”
A giggle slipped
from my lips.
“Love that sound.”
Ryder nipped my earlobe.
“What sound?”
“You happy.
Someday, we’ll go to that Resort Territory of yours,” Ryder slid
his nose down the side of my neck, “where we can laugh all day.”
His tongue traced the path his nose had just made. “Swim naked in
that lake of yours.”
A guard stomped
along the metal grate floor and halted a few meters away. “Hey, you
two. Lights out in five. Don’t make me throw you in the brig.”
My head still spun
from Ryder’s words. He gently lowered me to the ground. My knees
shook, but I managed to remain upright.
Ryder scowled.
“Now,” the guard
ordered, his face grim and determined.
Ryder growled low in
his chest then kissed my cheek. “Until later,” he whispered.
Balance Excerpt
“There
is more to the prophecy.” Fallon stated.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You realize the claim of the Triune is real.”
I snickered, “Yes, I can’t deny that anymore.”
“That leaked from our council during the war, but we were able to keep the rest of the intel to ourselves. You see, one of the members of the Neumarian Council could estimate future events based on current trends. It’s sort of a statistical prophecy in a way. Of course, it’s deeper than that. The one who had the gift also channeled more than just facts, emotions, psychology, the art of body language and behavior. All the information was churned up and a prophecy was spit out.”
“What is the rest?” I asked.
“Penton must be the protector of the Triune…” He nodded to Harrison and a click sounded in my head. Fallon leaned close and whispered. “…the one who will risk his life and die to save the Triune.”
I cupped my hands over my mouth to stop the gasp from reaching Raeth’s ears.
My pulse thrashed at my neck. I slowly lowered my hands to my side. “You think he’s going to die out there, don’t you?”
Fallon clasped my hands in his.
“Yes.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You realize the claim of the Triune is real.”
I snickered, “Yes, I can’t deny that anymore.”
“That leaked from our council during the war, but we were able to keep the rest of the intel to ourselves. You see, one of the members of the Neumarian Council could estimate future events based on current trends. It’s sort of a statistical prophecy in a way. Of course, it’s deeper than that. The one who had the gift also channeled more than just facts, emotions, psychology, the art of body language and behavior. All the information was churned up and a prophecy was spit out.”
“What is the rest?” I asked.
“Penton must be the protector of the Triune…” He nodded to Harrison and a click sounded in my head. Fallon leaned close and whispered. “…the one who will risk his life and die to save the Triune.”
I cupped my hands over my mouth to stop the gasp from reaching Raeth’s ears.
My pulse thrashed at my neck. I slowly lowered my hands to my side. “You think he’s going to die out there, don’t you?”
Fallon clasped my hands in his.
“Yes.”
My Review:
If you read any series this year, let it be this one. If you like any kind of futuristic, steampunky, action filled books, then you will love this series!
I fell in love from the first book and couldn't wait to devour the next one, and then the next. There is enough action, emotion, and great characters to keep anyone interested. The writer really pulls you into this world and makes you care for Semara, Ryder, and Raeth. The characters are all well developed, the world is described in great enough detail that I can picture it clearly. The story is engaging and really well written. I found myself going through so many emotions throughout this series and was very sad when I came to the end of Balance. I want more!
The author does a great job with story and I would recommend these to readers of both young adult and adult novels. Many of you will find that once you pick up the first book, you won't want to stop reading until you get to the end of the last one.
I am keeping this series on my kindle because I know it is one I will read again in the near future. I look forward to reading many more books by Ciara!
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