Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Obsidian and Stars
(Ivory and Bone #2) by Julie Eshbaugh

Obsidian and Stars is the second book in the Ivory and Bone duology by Julie Eshbaugh, and I am thrilled to be a part of the Blog Tour! In today’s post you will find my spoiler-free review, favorite quotes, and a tour-wide giveaway!

I loved Ivory and Bone so much, if you haven’t read it yet, you can check out my review, and grab the ebook for only $1.99, on sale for a limited time! I would like to thank HarperTeen for an advance reader copy which in no way influenced my review.

 

Obsidian and Stars (Ivory and Bone #2) by Julie Eshbaugh

Category: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publication: June 13th, 2017; HarperTeen
Purchase: Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Book Depository

After surviving the chaotic battle that erupted after Lo and the Bosha clan attacked, now Mya is looking ahead to her future with Kol. All the things that once felt so uncertain are fi-nally falling into place. But the same night as Kol and Mya’s betrothal announcement, Mya’s brother Chev reveals his plan to marry his youngest sister Lees to his friend Morsk. The only way to avoid this terrible turn of events, Morsk informs Mya when he corners her later, is for Mya to take Lees’ place and marry him herself.

Refusing to marry anyone other than her beloved, and in an effort to protect her sister, Mya runs away to a secret island with Lees. And though it seems like the safest place to hide until things back home blow over, Mya soon realizes she’s been followed. Lurking deep in the re-cesses of this dangerous place are rivals from Mya’s past whose thirst for revenge exceeds all reason.

With the lives of her loved ones on the line, Mya must make a move before the enemies of her past become the undoing of her future.

 

Review:

[book rating=5/5]

The stars in the obsidian sky may be beautiful, but they show the past, not the future.

Obsidian and Stars was another brilliant story in this duology. I am sad to leave this fantastical world behind, but I am in love with how both stories were a perfect balance to each other. In Ivory and Bone we are told the story from Kol’s perspective, and the fascinating part is we are listening to him tell the story of how he first met Mya to her for the majority of the timeline. In Obsidian and Stars, we are moved forward in the timeline and now experience a new story from Mya’s POV. Mya isn’t telling us the story like Kol did, which I loved, but I still devoured every page. This is just one part of what makes these books so original, but also that it is technically prehistoric fiction but written in the most poetic, contemporary voice.

Mya had a very mysterious and closed off attitude in book one, so I was so curious to see how I would feel about her now. From the very beginning you can still feel her struggle of reconciling her grudges while knowing she was in love with Kol. Mya is determined and selfless. She would do anything for her family and her clan. She has put them above herself all her life, and now when she finally wants something for her, she again puts it all on the line in hopes of bettering her family.

I absolutely love Kol, he is passionate and smart. My heart was so heavy for him. He knew Mya was the one for him, but he never expected to deal with all this intensity at the start of their budding relationship. Kol wears his emotions on his sleeve and is the complete foil to a closed-off Mya. I hate that he has been dealing with so much love and loss, but it seems this is the way of life for these clans.

Without giving away too much, I can tell you that this book is bloody. There are epic battles with mammoths, with clans, with the elements, and within themselves. I couldn’t stop reading, the exciting plot combined with the most beautiful prose. As much as I am sad to let these characters go, I feel complete after finishing Obsidian and Stars.

This is truly an epic romance, set in prehistoric times, where life and death is the core component, but you have to remember that love conquers all. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves an alluring world filled with elegant writing.

Favorite Quotes:

Six humans, ten beasts. Sixteen hearts beating. And yet the only motion is overhead. The clouds race by, and a buzzard, anticipating, circles high in the sky.

 

I feel like a traitor. For the longest time, I thought my feelings for Kol made me a traitor to the memory of my mother. Now I feel like a traitor to Kol. No matter where I place my loyalty, someone is betrayed.

 

Kol tips his head close to my ear. “You are so beautiful. You are the only reason my heart is not consumed by sorrow today.”

 

As I study his face, I can’t deny that there are many different Kols. The one who raised his spear to me. The one who couldn’t accept that Lo would plot to attach the Olen. And the one who came to my camp in the midst of a deadly storm. The one who risked his life to warn us, and then helped us defend the camp.

And then there is the Kol who looks back at me now from behind warm, dark eyes. There is something about this Kol that I’ve never seen before.

 

“That’s why I like the blackest nights-the darkest, obsidian skies of winter. When the world is coldest and darkest, the stars shine brightest.”

 

Author Bio: Julie Eshbaugh

Julie Eshbaugh is the author of Ivory and Bone (HarperCollins, 2016). She used to have trouble staying in one spot, having lived in places as varied as Utah, France, and New York City. Julie eventually returned home to the Philadelphia area, where she now lives with her husband, son, cat and dog. Her favorite moments are when the unexpected happens and she cheers loudest when the pitcher gets a hit.

Links:

Website ** Twitter ** Goodreads ** Instagram ** Pinterest

 

Giveaway:

• 1 finished copy of OBSIDIAN AND STARS by Julie Eshbaugh
• U.S. Only
• Giveaway Runs Through 6/17

 

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