BLURB:
Ugliness is power, and the Virus of Beauty is spreading causing panic throughout the witch population.
Wilf Gilvary is a teenage wizard who is terrified of using magic. When his father dies under mysterious circumstances, the same day the Mages Crystal shatters, Wilf is plunged into the middle of a political struggle between the witches and wizards in the Magical Realm. He’d rather play soccer than practice magic, but he’s forced to make a choice between the life of a normal Hong Kong teen and one of wizardry after a powerful virus begins to decimate the witch community. The cure is spellbound in a journal Wilf inherited from his father and when his friend Katryna contracts the virus, Wilf understands that he must overcome his fear of magic to unlock the journal’s secrets – but will it be too late to save her?
Purchase The Virus of Beauty Book 1 on Amazon
Excerpt:
The Virus of Beauty Book 1
“Wilf, is that you?” Reginald’s shout was followed by a creaking sound from the basement stairs.
Wilf bolted for the front door. His shoes crunched on the broken glass. He jerked open the door and the bell gave a traitorous jingle. He shot out of the store and back into their living quarters. He barged into the kitchen.
“What happened?” Myra asked, putting down the bread knife.
He threw himself onto a chair, poured cornflakes and milk into a bowl, and shoveled a spoonful into his mouth.
“Wilf,” Myra said, taking on the adult tone she’d started using two years ago, when she’d turned eighteen. “I take it you didn’t find your card in the store.”
“It wasn’t me,” he mumbled through his mouthful of cereal. “But I’ll be blamed. Tell him I was here, having breakfast.”
“Why am I covering for you again?” She folded her arms and tried to look more imposing than her five-foot, two-inch height would allow.
Wilf’s spoon leaped from his hand and splashed into the bowl with the first heavy footstep on the stairs. The faucet stopped dripping and the clock held its next tick. The small kitchen in the Gilvarys’ Hong Kong apartment held its breath.
The kitchen door flew open, and revealed his father, shaking with rage. After a moment, Reginald thrust his hands into his pants pockets.
“You’ve shattered the Mages Crystal.” His lips formed a thin line on his angular face. “It’s been in our family for generations.
The Veil of Corruption Book 2
BLURB:
Witches and magic are taking over Wilf's life.
After being thrust into a long-standing conflict between the witches and wizards that has destabilized the Magical Realm and finding the antidote for the Virus of Beauty, Wilf would like to return to his normal soccer playing teenage life. But he can’t rest until his stepsister, Myra, is caught and brought to justice. It’s been three days since Myra took to the skies above Hong Kong and disappeared. Now Wilf is accused of corrupting the Veil, a defensive barrier between the witch and wizard cities. As the spell expands throughout the magical realm it is attacking witches and wizards. But Wilf would rather embrace his witch friend, Katryna, than his wizard powers. When evil forces have other plans and they kidnap Katryna, Wilf realizes that he’d do anything to save her and the Magical Realm, even if it means risking his own life by connecting to the primary source of all magic.
Purchase The Veil of Corruption Book 2 on Amazon
My Review:
Wilf Gilvary is a teenage wizard who just wants to be a normal kid without magic. Wilf just wants to play high school soccer with his teammates. He doesn’t want to worry about his magic, well, not until he is accused of corrupting the Veil, a defensive barrier between the witch and wizard cities. You see Wilf helped the witches and wizards put up this wall and now his magic is attacking the witches and wizards. Wilf must find out why his magic is attacking the witches and wizards and somehow put a stop to it.
In the first book, The Virus of Beauty a virus known as the Virus of Beauty swept through the land attacking the witches and wizards. Wilf was afraid to use his magic as he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to control it but he was the only one who was strong enough to stop the virus. Wilf did find a vaccine for the virus and in book two The Veil of Corruption, the witches are working hard to distribute it to the witches and wizards.
Wilf’s stepsister, Myra is on the run and must be caught. Wilf feels as if it is his responsibility to bring his stepsister to justice. All Wilf wants to do is play soccer and spend time with his friend Katryna until she is kidnapped. Wilf will do everything in his power to find Katryna and bring her home safely even if it means using his powers.
The Veil of Corruption was just as mesmerizing as its predecessor The Virus of Beauty. It drew me in with the first page. The Veil of Corruption was an intense read with all its twists and turns. Once I picked it up there was no way I was going to lay it down until I had read the last page. The world-building and the magic alone kept me hooked page after page. I can’t wait to dive into the next book The Vassal of Magic to see where Wilf’s journey takes him.
I highly recommend The Veil of Corruption to all fans of magic, witches, wizards, and the Magical Realm! One-click your copy of The Veil of Corruption today! I would like to suggest that you read The Virus of Beauty before reading The Veil of Corruption.
The Vassal of Magic Book 3
BLURB:
Wilf Gilvary is a slave to the magic he hates.
Yet his powers seem a solution for saving the Magical Realm and Katryna, the girl he loves. If only he could figure out how to tap his magic’s full potential.
As factions of witches and wizards vie for control of the Magical Realm, Wilf embarks on a harrowing journey that plunges him into the realm’s ancient secrets. At first, Wilf begins to doubt everything. His affection for Katryna might be the remnants of a broken love spell. And he still struggles to control his magic.
But Wilf risks his life to learn more about his powers and his destiny. It leaves him facing an impossible choice: forever abandon his dreams of life as a Normal in Hong Kong, or allow magic and the Magical Realm to perish from the world.
Purchase The Vassal of Magic Book 3 on Amazon
My Review:
The Vassal of Magic is a very intense and mesmerizing story with lots of twists and turns that keep the pages turning. The Vassal of Magic will have you in its clutches from beginning to end with not a dull moment in between. There is action right up until the end. I love this world as it gets better and better with each turn of the page.
I fell in love with The Virus of Beauty Series with the first book The Virus of Beauty. I also loved reading each and every book in The Virus of Beauty Series and seeing the story through different characters’ eyes. I liked getting to know each character and seeing the world through their eyes. Each book drew me in more and more as I was drawn deeper and deeper into their world. I loved the world that was created for The Vassal of Magic.
Wilf is still dealing with who he is and what he wants out of life. He is still struggling with not being able to be a normal teen. He wants more than anything to play soccer. Wilf is afraid that his magic will be so strong that he can’t control it and end up causing more harm than good. Besides playing soccer the only other thing Wilf wants is to keep his girlfriend Katryna safe.
Wilf has the world sitting on his shoulders at the moment. The world of magic is in trouble and Wilf is just maybe the only one who can save it but he is afraid. Can Wilf overcome his fear? Can Wilf save the world of magic? Wilf has a long hard road ahead of him. A road that is not going to be easy. There are some hard, tough battles ahead for Wilf, Myra, and Katryna as they work to save the Magic Realm.
I would recommend The Vassal of Magic to all fantasy and magical fans out there! Grab your copy of The Vassal of Magic today! I do recommend starting with the first book The Virus of Beauty and then onto book two The Veil of Corruption before reading the third book The Vassal of Magic for a better understanding of what is going on with the Magical Realm.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Carolyn Lyall was born in Stockton-On-Tees, United Kingdom. As a child Carolyn growing up in Northern England in the sixties Carolyn loved sports, reading and amateur dramatics. She joined a renaissance group, practiced the broadsword and dreamed of visiting other worlds. Her passion for what could be drove her forward when faced with everyday struggles. Her first memorable skirmish with gender inequality came at nine-years old when she was told that only boys were allowed to play soccer. In response, she simply refused to do any classwork until they changed their old-fashioned policies. She won that battle.
At the age of 18, she took a role as typist for a nursing school in Middlesbrough. She then moved to London and enrolled in night school. She was quickly recognized for her ability to fit in anywhere and for not being afraid to push back on the predominantly male leadership. She eventually became a project manager in software development and micro-computers, bridging the gap between computer programmers and management.
Her dream to travel was finally realized in 1990 when she moved to New York City, USA with her husband and the first of three sons. This was the steppingstone to a lifelong adventure that has taken her and her family to India, Belgium and Hong Kong.
Raising her family in multiple countries around the world, she saw that each move, while a shock, was an opportunity for her sons to redefine themselves against new challenges and different cultural norms. Now, that her sons have left home, Carolyn has used her passion for the fantastic to create a world where every day gender inequalities are at the forefront of a world ending conflict. She shares this story through the eyes of a young man who is suddenly thrust into this new world along with all of his own woes and prejudices. The introduction to this world is in Carolyn’s debut YA fantasy novel, “The Virus of Beauty,” due to be released July 31, 2019 under C B Lyall.
Carolyn has published two short stories in an annual anthology by 25 Servings of Soop. She wrote a number of articles for the American Women’s Associates Magazine. Fueled by her love of the works of Terry Pratchett, Sarah J Maas, Cassandra Clare, Brandon Sanderson and others, Carolyn has completed a number of writing courses, which included a Master Fantasy/Science Fiction writers course with Gotham Writers’ Workshop, a YA Voice class and Advance Novel Writing course at Sarah Lawrence College’s Writing Institute.
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7 comments:
Great covers!
Sounds good, thank you.
Thank you for sharing your awesome review of these stories, The Virus of Beauty series sounds like a must read for my teen-aged grandchildren and I.
Thank you for hosting my series and for the reviews. I'm so glad they entertained you. The Virus of Beauty - Book 1 is discounted for the Blog Tour at only $2.99 for the kindle version. If you have Kindle Unlimited all three books are available FREE.
I really like the covers and the blurbs.
Great excerpt, The Virus of Beauty sounds like an intriguing and entertaining read, thanks for sharing it with me! Thanks, Avid Readers for sharing your reviews! Have a wonderful day!
Thanks for the great excerpt. The book series sounds fantastic. Love the eye-catching covers.
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