The Page 69 Test: *Knot of Souls* by Christine Amsden #page69

 

 

 

They say if you want to really find a good book, go to page 69 (the middle and meat of the book) and you like what's there, it's definitely worth reading the whole book. For today's feature, I'm zooming in on page 69 of Christine Amsden's new urban fantasy, Knot of Souls. 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Two souls, one body …

When Joy wakes up in an alley, she knows three things: she was brutally murdered, she has somehow come back to life … and she is not alone. She’s been possessed by an inhuman presence, a being that has taken over her dying body. That being is powerful, in pain, and on the run from entities more dangerous than he is.

Shade, a Fae prince on the run, didn’t mean to share the body he jumped into. Desperate and afraid, accused of a murder he didn’t commit, he only sought a place to hide—but if he leaves Joy now, he faces discovery and a fate worse than death.

Forced to work together to solve multiple murders, including her own, Joy and Shade discover hidden strengths and an unlikely friendship. Yet as their souls become increasingly intertwined, they realize their true danger might come from each other … and if they don’t find a way to untangle the knot their souls have become, then even the truth won’t set them free.

Knot of Souls is a stand-alone buddy love fantasy that forces two very different beings to work together … and come out stronger on the other side.

I let Joy tell me more about her life as we drove, stopping only twice to eat and pee (or, as Joy preferred to think of it, “answer a call of nature”). Now that I was convinced she’d remain in the background and hopeful that we were so different it could take years for our souls to get mixed up, I found myself relaxing and even enjoying this child of my flesh. Her brain never stopped working, which had to be exhausting, but she almost seemed to fear that if she stopped thinking, she’d stop being anything at all.
The idea amused me and helped keep my mind off of what would almost certainly be an unpleasant encounter with an ex-lover who’d probably delight in turning me over to the High Court—after I called in the favor she owed me. Lanette and I had first met in human form when she’d been a man and I’d been a woman and we’d experimented together, learning what that all meant. Afterward, she’d wanted to mate in our True Forms, an intimacy I’d never shared with any Fae—and never intended to.
We found a hotel in downtown Memphis, Joy grumbling the whole time about the cost, then I bought a large hat and a pair of dark sunglasses that would make it much harder for Lanette to describe this host body to the authorities. Joy kept nagging to know what I was doing, and when I briefly described the need for a disguise, she suggested adding a pair of high heels to mask her height and make her legs seem thinner, which I grudgingly acknowledged was a good idea.

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

 

Christine Amsden is the author of nine award-winning fantasy and science fiction novels, including the Cassie Scot Series.

Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but Christine believes great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. She writes primarily about people, and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.

In addition to writing, Christine is a freelance editor and political activist. Disability advocacy is of particular interest to her; she has a rare genetic eye condition called Stargardt Macular Degeneration and has been legally blind since the age of eighteen. In her free time, she enjoys role playing, board games, and a good cup of tea. She lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and two kids.

Author Links

Website ➜https://christineamsden.com/wordpress/

X ➜ http://www.x.com/christineamsden 

Facebook ➜https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Amsden-Author-Page/127673027288664?ref=hl