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battle cry
by
melissa snark
Book: Battle Cry
Series: Loki’s Wolves – Book 3 (Stand Alone)
Author: Melissa Snark
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Shapeshifter
Length: Approximately 96,000 words
Cover Artist: Farah Evers
BATTLE CRY by Melissa Snark is book 3 in the Loki’s Wolves Series. I have not read Books 1 and 2 in the series, but I was assured by Ms. Snark when she approached me and asked me if I’d beta read this book that Battle Cry is a standalone novel, so I decided I would give it a try. I had no knowledge of the back story, and I had not read any of the blurbs for the books, so I was going in blind, just the way I like. When I review a book, I want the author’s words to spin the story for me, not the blurb and not other reviews.
I must say, I was impressed with Ms. Snark’s storytelling. This book was so involved, with so many different storylines, it could have gone terribly wrong. It didn’t. In Battle Cry, she gives the reader a non-stop thrill ride with an intricate plot, interesting characters and a fast paced read that I just couldn’t put down. I was hooked from the prologue and even though you would think I was at a disadvantage because I had not read the first two books in the series that was not the case at all. I was truly captivated.
There is so much happening in this book that it’s just not feasible for me to try to summarize it. Just know that with each storyline in the book, I was never disappointed. There were no blurred lines and Ms. Snark was able to keep me interested without confusing me in the least. There were goddesses and gods, vampires, hunters, werewolves, bitter enemies working together to try to put their differences aside for the greater good, love lost and new love blooming.
Ms. Snark writes battle scenes that are thrilling, brutal and for lack of a better term, kick ass astounding. I was literally on the edge of my seat, turning pages on my Kindle faster and faster until the battle was over and even at the battle conclusion, there were circumstances that kept me right on the edge needing to find out what was going to happen next.
I highly recommend Battle Cry by Melissa Snark. My only caveat to the reader: Make sure you have nothing that has to get done because once you pick this book up; you won’t be able to put it down.
Survival demands sacrifices; healing requires forgiveness.
Men revere him; monsters fear him. Jake Barrett, the notorious Hunter King, values loyalty to family and followers above all else. When the daughter of his closest ally murders Daniel, his oldest son, it sets off a chain reaction of violence and destruction that claims the lives of both wolves and hunters. Determined to avenge his son, Jake seeks the truth at any cost.
After losing her lover and then her mate, Victoria Storm simply wants to get on with building a new life in Sierra Pines, California. A vengeful Jake Barrett and his organization aren't going to make that easy, especially with the unwelcome attraction between her and the Hunter King's second son. Perils beyond the mortal coil plague Victoria. When the Norse Fates predict Victoria will destroy the world, her duties as a priestess of Freya come into conflict with her responsibilities as a Valkyrie of Odin. When they tell her she will do it to save her unborn child, she's not so sure they are wrong.
Sawyer Barrett has been trying to kill Victoria for so long, he doesn't know whether he loves her or hates her. Desperate to end the war, he's willing to take chances with everything–except his heart. The hunter harbors a deadly secret he can't reveal without risking the ceasefire and his life. At Sawyer's urging, Victoria agrees to peace talks with Jake. All the while, an ancient vampire plots the destruction of wolves and hunters alike. If the embittered rivalry between hunters and wolves doesn't end—and fast—there is no hope for Victoria's pack... or for their world.
Shade enshrouded Skuld, and her voice manifested upon the air, thick and oppressive, closing in from all sides. "Your daughter will not grow to adulthood in Midgard."
Victoria's heart slammed against her breastbone. Her breath expelled in a horrified gust. The bowl dropped from her hands and flew to protect her abdomen. "What do you mean?"
"Your daughter will be taken from you on the eve of her third birthday," Skuld said. "The one you trust most, a member of your own pack, will give the child over to your greatest enemy."
A growl trembled in Victoria's throat, and her entire body shook under the dual assault of fear and rage. The suggestion of betrayal from within her own pack filled her with disbelief to the core of her being. It was unthinkable. Gritting her teeth, she sought a solution, refusing to dwell on it. "How am I to prevent this?"
"We speak of what will come to pass," Verðandi said in a sympathetic tone.
"Your predictions are not carved in stone," Victoria said. Arguing with Fate was a foolish endeavor, but she refused to accept their prophecy.
The old woman, Urðr, smiled with a frightening gleam in her eyes. "Predictions, carved into the trunk of the World Tree, carved into the spiritual fabric of the world."
Stubborn determination settled over Victoria like armor. Her mother had taught her there was no absolute fate, just as there was no absolute free will. Life consisted of a wide range of possibilities between the two extremes. She refused to allow her daughter to die at three years of age. She would move worlds, alter fate, slay gods.
Whatever it took.
"Do you wish to save your child?" Skuld asked.
Victoria answered without thought. "Yes. I'll do anything. Tell me. Please."
"The final days are upon us," Verðandi said.
Skuld took over speaking. "To save your daughter, you will side with Loki against the Aesir. You will use your enchanted dagger to cut the binding of the great wolf Fenrir. You will be responsible for freeing the beast that kills Odin."
Victoria's stomach turned. Her head shook in automatic denial. "When the gods imprisoned Fenrir, my people pledged fealty to the Aesir. We have served them loyally ever since. Even when we were driven from the homeland, almost a millennium ago, we remained faithful. I will never cut Fenrir's bonds. To do so would end the world we live in and doom us all."
Skuld's gaze held steady. "You will."
Victoria snarled her denial. "No. I will never become the servant of the Trickster or willingly take part in bringing about Odin's death."
Skuld turned her head and pinned Victoria with one black eye that rolled in its socket like a liquid marble. "To save your daughter, you will."
- Melissa Snark is published with The Wild Rose Press & as an Indie author with five unique titles: A CAT'S TALE, THE MATING GAME, LEARNING TO FLY, THE CHILD THIEF, and HUNGER MOON.
- Her Loki's Wolves series includes THE CHILD THIEF, HUNGER MOON and BATTLE CRY.
- She lives in the San Francisco bay area with her husband, three children and a glaring of cats.
- She is a professional cat herder and unrepentant satirist who blogs about books and writing on The Snarkology.
Author Website
The Snarkology
Email: melissasnark at gmail.com
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Twitter: @MelissaSnark
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