Blog Tour and Review: IGNITE by ERICA CROUCH

Title: Ignite 

Author: Erica Crouch

Series: Ignite #1

Release Date: June 11th 2013 by Patchwork Press

Age Group: YA

Genre: Paranormal Romance

BLURB

Penemuel (Pen) fell from grace over a millennium ago, yet there are still times she questions her decision to follow her twin brother, Azael, to Hell. Now that the archangel Michael has returned, threatening Lucifer’s vie for the throne, she begins questioning everything she has always believed. 

As Hell prepares for war - spreading a demonic virus and pilfering innocent souls to build an army - the lines separating the worlds blur. Fates erase and the future is left unwritten. Azael is determined that he and his sister will continue to serve as demons together, but for the first time in her life, Pen is not ruled by destiny. She has the freedom of choice. 

With choice comes sacrifice, and Pen must decide which side she’s willing to risk everything fighting for: the light, or the dark.

                                                                

Review

Genre: demons,angels,favourites,just freaking awesome,review copy

There is no denying that the plot to Ignite is relatively complex, and Erica Crouch does not offer her reader all the answers to the angel/demon, good vs evil debate, but this book is so well composed and the discussions meticulously formed that I found it impossible not to become completely involved in the story.

Pen is one of the most extraordinary characters I feel a reader will meet in contemporary fiction. She is a demon complete with ironies yet she goes through a full development in Ignite, which is both painful and exhilarating.

Although Pen and Michael's relationship is forbidden they demonstrate that love is strong enough to provide them with stability against the anger and hate of everyone they are loyal to. Erica Crouch allows the trust between the two of them to grow steadily, and there are no preconceptions as the reader is aware of Azael's plan.

The climatic ending to Ignite had me looking for the sequel nut unfortunately there is a wait (SAD FACE!). I very much anticipate reading more of Erica Crouch's work and hope that more readers will pick up Ignite :-)!

Rating:

 

EXCERPT

I pull apart two heavy green limbs of a gigantic fir and see Michael sitting alone. His eyes are closed, but he has a warm smile spread across his face and he is humming brassily. He looks so serene that I can’t help but watch him a while longer.

His hair is bright and golden against the deep emerald and brown of his surroundings, a beacon in a sea of shadows. He is wearing jeans that are covered in dark grass stains and a long-sleeved gray sweater. I push the branches farther apart and lean forward, trying to see him more clearly, but when I do, one of the branches cracks.

I let go of the tree and hide myself behind the greenery. Through the closed branches, I see Michael open his eyes, straighten his back, and look around.

“Hello?” he calls, his voice as golden as his hair. “Is anyone there?”

He has his back turned towards me and is looking into the shadowy woods over his shoulder. I take a calming breath and step out from behind the tree, brushing the drooping green branches out of my way.

“Do I count as anyone?” I ask, eyebrow arched.

He whips his head back around towards me. Still sitting, he has to crane his neck up to see me. I give him a smile that I hope isn’t too sharp and hold out my empty hands, like I’m approaching a wild animal. Any sudden movements and he’ll bolt. He looks me over apprehensively and his eyes fixate on the handle of my dagger that sticks out from my boot.

He grabs the hilt of his sword with one hand and scrambles to a standing position. Clumsily, he pulls his sword out of his belt and holds it out in front of him. It’s not pointed at me, though. Instead, its tip drops to the ground with a small bounce.

I look from the sword back to him skeptically. “Really?”

He stares at me for a moment and then he shifts the sword so it is centered on me, clutching it with both of his hands. His posture straightens as he squares his shoulders. “Really.”

I step towards him cautiously, still holding my hands up. “If I wanted to kill you, I could have done it by now.” It’s laughable how easy it would have been. I can practically see the entire scene—me slinking up behind him, snapping his neck, grabbing his sword and skewering him to the tree. He would have been dead in under sixty seconds. “Where are your bodyguards, anyway?”

The sword wavers, lowering slightly from my chest to my abdomen. “Ariel and Sablo?”

“Do you have other bodyguards I don’t know about?”

He considers me and drops one of his hands from the hilt of his sword. “I gave them the day off.”

Or, more likely, they had more important things to do, I think to myself. Something big must’ve caught their attention if they’re letting Michael off of the short leash they keep him on. But they’re still probably watching him. I glance up through the tall trees and into the sky before looking back at Michael. Maybe news of the Lilim has reached the pearly gates.

“And do you regret that decision now?” I say, taking another careful step towards him. One more step and his sword would hit my stomach, so I stop, lowering my hands slowly.

Michael examines me again. He glances between me and the point of his weapon. Do it, I want to say. I don’t know why, but I want to push him, see if he’d even be able to kill me. I’m nearly positive he wouldn’t be able to, but I’m not willing to risk my life on nearly.

I shift on my feet. “Do you mind lowering that?” I ask, gesturing to his sword. He focuses on my dagger again before his eyes flick back up to my face.

“I’ll drop my weapon if you drop yours.”

Erica’s Bio: 

Erica Crouch is a twenty-year-old living on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland. She is currently working towards a degree in English and Creative Writing with a specialization in Fiction at Southern New Hampshire University. She spends all of her time writing and reading an overwhelming stack of books. Ignite is her debut novel and she is currently writing its sequel - in addition to two other series!

Links
Ignite on Goodreads
Amazon – Kobo – Barnes & Noble
Erica on Goodreads – Her Website – Twitter – Facebook