A Dream Within A Dream: Allure Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Allure blog tour! Today I have my review of the first book in the series, Conjure, to share with you and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the post to enter the tour wide giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.

Allure (The Hoodoo Apprentice #2)
Author: Lea Nolan
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Release Date: October 1, 2013

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indie Bound | iTunes | Goodreads

Description:

Worst. Summer. Ever.

Emma Guthrie races to learn the hoodoo magic needed to break The Beaumont Curse before her marked boyfriend Cooper's sixteenth birthday. But deep in the South Carolina Lowcountry, dark, mysterious forces encroach, conspiring to separate Emma and Cooper forever. When Cooper starts to change, turning cold and indifferent, Emma discovers that both his heart and body are marked for possession by competing but equally powerful adversaries.

Desperate to save him, Emma and her twin brother, Jack, risk their lives to uncover the source of the black magic that has allured Cooper and holds him in its grip. Face with the horror of a soul-eating boohag, Emma and Jack must fight to resist its fiendish power to free Cooper long enough to join their strengths and face it together, before it destroys them all.

About the first book in the series:

Conjure (The Hoodoo Apprentice #1)
Author: Lea Nolan
Release Date: October 23, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Description:

Be careful what you search for...

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry--hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.

When a strange girl appears, bent on revenge; demon dogs become a threat; and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends--are lost forever.

Conjure is the first book in a young adult fantasy/paranormal series that follows teenage main character Emma Guthrie along with her twin brother Jack and their best friend (and her secret crush) Cooper Beautmont, are convinced that this summer is going to be like all the others. They were wrong. The three of them find an old bottle in the sand with a letter inside warning about a curse and speaking of a hidden treasure on the Beaumont estate. Emma and the guys decide to try to find the treasure and are astonished when they succeed. That is, until they unleash an ancient curse that gives Jack the flesh-eating Creep and threatens to steal Cooper's very soul on his sixteenth birthday. With everything unraveling around her along with the appearance of a mysterious girl who is determined to get revenge, demon dogs, and her brother and Cooper's lives in the balance - Emma has no other option than to learn hoodoo magic in order to break the curse and save everyone she loves.

I was immediately intrigued by the description of the book - curses, hoodoo magic, hidden treasure, revenge - it sounded like something I'd definitely like. Gladly, the book lived up to any expectations I had and then some. The story was fantastic - it had lots going on without overwhelming or confusing the reader. I loved reading everything I could about the ancient Gullah curse and the culture along with the hoodoo magic. I found it really fascinating and I'm looking forward to reading about it more in the next book. The characters were well written, especially the three main characters of Emma, Jack, and Cooper. They each have their own quirks along with strengths and weaknesses - but they band together to finish what they started and set things right. There's a great blend of genres in the book - action, fantasy, adventure, paranormal aspects, some mystery, and romance - so there's definitely an appeal to fans of all types of fiction. I thought that the plot and the writing was well done with an easy flow and natural progression. I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series to see what will happen next.

Lea Nolan writes the kinds of stories she sought as a teen—smart paranormals with bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance, and a sprinkle of history. She holds degrees in history and women’s studies concentrating in public policy and has spent nearly twenty years as a health policy analyst and researcher. She lives in Maryland with her heroically supportive husband and three clever children. You can learn more about Lea on her website, on Facebook, Twitter and on Goodreads.