Hello! This here’s my tour stop for Lethal Inheritance by Tahlia Newland! Yay!
Title: Lethal Inheritance (Book one of the Diamond Peak Series)
Author: Tahlia Newland
Publisher: Catapult Press
Genre: Young adult contemporary fantasySynopsis
If last night was real, Ariel should be dead. She’s not, but her mother has disappeared, there are bruises on her neck and the hideous beast in the photo looks frighteningly familiar.You can’t send police into a tunnel that doesn’t exist after a villain they can’t see, so when shadow demons kidnap her mother, Ariel has to mount the rescue mission herself. Hot on the trail, she enters a hidden layer of reality only to find that the demons are hunting her, and they feed on fear. Ariel must defeat them before they kill her and enslave her mother. But how do you kill terrifying demons when your fear makes them stronger?
A quirky old guide teaches her how to locate and unleash her inner power, and while battling hallucinogenic mist, treacherous terrain, murderous earth spirits and self-doubt, she falls in love with Nick, a Warrior whose power is more than either of them can handle.
Ariel’s journey challenges her perception, tests her awareness and takes her deep into her heart and mind to confront, and ultimately transcend, her fear and anger.
I’m a fantasy nut, but there are just some fantasy novels that I have hard time getting into. It took me a while to get into this book. Could be my busy schedule or the holiday season or maybe because Lethal Inheritance is certainly different from the kind of fantasy I’m used to. The writing isn’t bad, nor is the story–in fact, there’s something deep about its premise. There’s a little bit of spirituality in this one.
When her mother is kidnapped by demons, Ariel gets pulled out from her “normal” world and into a reality where magic, spirits, and demons exist and where mastery of the mind and the heart can mean victory over evil. The book describes Ariel’s journey and how she comes into her own. I like that this book has a strong female main character. I also like the author’s versions of spirits and demons–that they come into being and feed on and grow with the negative emotions of people and that most people don’t realize it. Defeating the demons mean getting rid of negativity. Sounds like something we need to do in our “normal” world, yeah? ;)
Anyway, this book is different. It’s not my kind of fantasy, but I can appreciate it for what it is. This book is definitely a fantasy novel, but it has elements of love, adventure, and spirituality, too. If you like a different kind of action-packed fantasy, you might enjoy this one!
I received a review copy of this book at no cost and with no obligations. All opinions and views expressed are my own.
About the author: Tahlia Newland
Hi. I’m an author, avid reader, extremely casual high school teacher & occasional mask-maker. I write urban fantasy for adults & young adults and like to challenge readers to look more closely at the nature of their world, their mind and their perception. After creating and performing in Visual Theatre shows for 20 years, I’m now a bone-fide expatriate of the performing arts. I live in an Australian rainforest, am married with a teenage daughter and love cats, but I don’t have one because they eat native birds.