BLOOD PRICE by Nicole Evans (EXCERPT)
I’m excited today to be taking part in the blog tour for Nicole Evans’s debut novel BLOOD PRICE!
Nicole is a fellow reviewer and editor, and when she announced she was releasing her own fantasy novel, I couldn’t wait to hear more. Before we dive into the excerpt, let’s check out the official blurb:
The law of the gods is simple: those who kill must pay for it in blood.
In the land of Armadin, where nine clans exist in a fragile peace, Ashilde is one of the few chosen to pay the blood price. Through it, she becomes a warrior, capable of killing to protect her clan-alongside her hunters, who provide the essential animal sacrifice, lest they become the next clan to suffer the gods’ wrath.
When an attack wipes out their few remaining hunters, Ashilde must find a way to protect her clan and still appease the gods, despite her shaken faith. But when her monthly bleeding stops, she can no longer kill. Cast out by the gods’ decree, she’s given a single task: travel to the gods’ realm, atoning for the failures of the clan and herself alike. If she dies, another will be sent in her place, until the demanded atonement is fulfilled or her clan is wiped out. Entirely.
Bound by a promise to protect her people above all else, Ashilde embarks on a quest driven for answers. Aided only by a pair of animals and a small child she meets along the way, Ashilde must battle the elements, her pursuers and her own mind to reach the gods’ realm.
To save her people, Ashilde’s journey forces her to answer the ultimate question: is she willing to pay the price asked of her, now that she can no longer pay in blood?
Nicole has made Blood Price available to pre-order in lots of different places, you can even get signed copies!
Publication date is 1st October, and you can check out where best to pre-order on Nicole’s Linktr
BLOOD PRICE
The air outside was still as Ashilde walked across the
village, normally alive with noise. Instead, the village
felt eerily empty. The sight of children running between
the thatched longhouses and huts; the distinct rhythm
of hammering wood or clashing steel; the smell of
freshly baked stew; all of it had vanished, swept away
as if by the wind, not a soul in sight.
village, her bare feet sinking slightly into the ground,
still wet from last night’s rain. By the time she passed
through the cluster of homes and began climbing the
single, soft sloping hill leading south, she could already
feel the blood between her legs begin to stain her upper
thighs, rubbing together without the fabric of her pants
to pad them. Keeping her back straight and her head
high, she pushed forward, ignoring her discomfort
and the feeling of vulnerability trying to snake its way
underneath her skin, refusing to ponder at what her
people might think of her in such a state. Nakedness
wasn’t uncommon—many shared the bathhouse
together, after all—but this? This was different. This
was baring her soul to be judged and hoping no one
found her wanting.
her own nervous thoughts.
confidence with every step. You haven’t given everything,
only to fear what those you serve think of you. Give them
someone to be proud of. Become worthy of them.
Nicole has made Blood Price available to pre-order in lots of different places, you can even get signed copies!
Publication date is 1st October, and you can check out where best to pre-order on Nicole’s Linktr
[…] Excerpt Reveal by Beth @ The Fantasy Hive […]