Giveaway of the Key of Solomon: Relic Defender, #1 by Cassiel Knight

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Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Published: 3/01/2011

Buy here

Rating:  Adkin’s Entrée (meaty)











Life and humanity had not been kind to Lexi. After her parents deaths, she had been shuffled through the foster care system leaving scars on her young psyche. She is within a gnat’s hair of receiving her PhD in archeology when life takes another swipe at her. It seems that Lexi is next in line to be a Defender. A hereditary position handed down through her father’s line. The Defender is the keeper of the Key or the Book of Solomon. This ancient relic was devised by King Solomon himself, used to imprison the spirits of 72 powerful demons. If the seal on the vessel is ever unlocked, Armageddon is soon to follow.  Mikos is the Fallen sent by the Archangel Michael to train the new Defender. A former general in Lucifer's army, Mikos is seeking redemption and a way back to Heaven. He can afford no mistakes, and that means any affectionate feelings he may have for Lexi must be ignored totally.

  I really liked this book, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. It had a very Urban Fantasy feel to it. Very dark and gritty. Lexi is very bitter about her life and humanity in general. She has isolated herself to the point of almost being a hermit. She always expects and prepares for the worst, which has made her incredibly strong, independent and resilient, not to mention a tad bit suicidal. She has a habit of risking her life at the drop of a hat. To say she has abandonment issues would be a GROSS understatement. There was a bit of whimsy to lighten the darkness in the form of Mikos' sidekick, Rocky. Rocky is a small imp who fancies himself as a 1920's style mobster. Mikos was harder to get a handle on. We know why he fell and that he's seeking redemption, but he remained a bit mysterious for me. He was a very serious fellow, not a lot of one liners coming from Mikos. There are a plethora of angels and demons duking it out for the Defender, and it made for a very intense and compelling read.

   The romance in the story was a secondary thread, not a major impact until the end of the book. The main emphasis was on the story of an attempt to take over Hell and the control of humanity. The story was extremely well researched and beautifully written. Cassiel Knight did a magnificent job of pulling the reader into the myriad of settings in which the story took place and conveying the urgency and desperation of the characters involved. I see a great future for Ms. Knight's characters, and I am really looking forward to Mari and Jackson's story. It promises to be a awesome read.


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                               GIVEAWAY


Cassiel Knight is generally offering up an e-book copy of her book Key of Solomon. In order to enter for the giveaway just leave a comment on the post about how you would react to being responsible for the fate of all mankind. Contest is open internationally.