Catalyst Moon: Incursion by Lauren L. Garcia @lalogawrites

Winner of Inkitt's Dreamlands contest, this is the first book in an exciting new adult fantasy series.
In Aredia Mages are feared, and kept like prisoners by sentinels - Warriors sworn to protect the world from magic. So what happens when a mage and a sentinel are forced to rely on each other to survive?

Kali, a crippled mage who longs to escape her painful past, travels to meet a powerful healer in Whitewater City. But on the way her sentinel escort is decimated by monstrous raiders, leaving her with a single guardian, Stonewall: a sentinel with nothing but his chosen name and his faith in the gods. Together, Kali and Stonewall must learn to work together to survive a harrowing journey while demonic creatures from the north invade their lands.
Meanwhile, the mages and sentinels of Whitewater City are drawing battle lines and preparing for war – against one another.

Amazon
MY REVIEW5 STARS
I was hooked almost immediately into this story by the lyrical musicality of the writing.  The premise of the fantasy quest-like story is unusual with characters that are richly and intricately drawn.  Kali and Stonewall are likable; both unusually duty-bound and compassionate.  I loved watching their relationship blossom as their journey progressed. 
The world-building expertly sets the stage for an epic confrontation between the Aredian’s and a deadly new foe.  The looming clash between the staid, tightly regimented Aredian warriors and the ferocious unknown and unpredictable northern threat is sure to be an exciting nail-biter.

I also liked the secondary plot line featuring a rebellious group of mages back in Whitewater City and look forward to reading the next book to find out what roles Kali and Stonewall will play in the impending mage rebellion and demon invasion.

Reviewed by Laurie-j

MEET THE AUTHOR

I've been a storyteller all my life. I started writing down my stories at the age of twelve; two decades and over two million words later, I'm still going. My writing process often begins with a question: what if? Hot on the heels of those two words, other questions like “how?” and “why?” will follow. Inspiration comes from everywhere, though music compels my muse like nothing else. Sometimes a song will strike me, and I won't know why until I'm working on a particular character or scene; then, everything will crystallize in my mind. “Of course! This is how it should go.”
If you spend enough time listening to writers talking about writing, you'll probably hear that there are two kinds of fiction writers: architects, (who plan and structure every detail), and gardeners, (who tend a few seeds of ideas and watch them grow.) I fall into both categories, though I lean more toward being a “gardener.” I have endgames in mind, but often the path to reach them is a quest of discovery on my part! Amazon Author Page    Twitter   Facebook