Special Feature for Today: The Witches of Dark Root by April Aasheim REVIEW, GIVEAWAY, and Blog Hop!!!

Name: The Witches of Dark Root The Daughters of Dark Root Series

Author: April Aasheim

Genre: Paranormal/Fiction

Publisher: Dark Root Press

Date of Publication: June, 2013

ISBN-13: 978-0615819327

ISBN-10: 061581932X

ASIN: B00D6OUDDG

Number of pages: 350

Word Count: approx. 112,000

Cover Artist: April Aasheim

Deep in the forests of Central Oregon is a town called Dark Root, a place shrouded in secrets, mystery, and witchcraft.

But for Maggie Maddock, Dark Root is also a prison, a place where she is forced to spend her days working in her mother’s magick shop, forfeiting any dreams of her own. So when a mysterious stranger suddenly appears and offers to take her away from it all, Maggie jumps at the chance.

Now, seven years later, a strange phone call sends Maggie back to Dark Root and she is unprepared for what awaits her: a dying town, a sick mother, a renewed sibling rivalry, and a past she had hoped to forget.

Part Practical Magic, part Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, The Witches of Dark Root is a tale that seamlessly weaves the normal with the mystical, the mundane with the fantastic. Zipping in and out of time from Maggie’s childhood as an apprentice witch to current day, where Maggie struggles with her increasing powers, as well as family obligations, The Witches of Dark Root is a book rich in both fantasy and heart which will leave readers believing in magic.

April Aasheim spent her childhood traveling the Southwestern portion of the United States with her fortune- telling mother and her get-rich-quick dreaming stepfather. During that time, April and her family toured with a carnival company, sold bug repellant door to door, and resided in an abandoned miner’s shack in The Superstitious Mountains of Arizona. 

When April became a teenager she went to live with her biological father in California. Her father saw April’s need to express herself and encouraged her to write her stories rather than tell them. By learning to write April was able to make sense of her family and the world she lived in. She continues to do that to this day.

April currently lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband. She is the mother of two incredible sons and the step-mother to a beautiful little girl. She is the author of numerious short stories, has contributed to several anthologies, and is the author of the well-received novel: The Universe is a Very Big Place.

The Witches of Dark Root is The first in the Daughters of Dark Root series and April looks forward to writing the second book in 2014.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AprilAasheimWriter

Website: http://www.aprilaasheim.com/

Blog: http://aprilaasheim.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AprilAasheim

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6535145.April_Aasheim

What an amazing story. I always love a good paranormal story. Especially one about witches. I love that this book isn't your typical witch book with a lot of magic happenings and that's it. There was an actual story behind it all. 

Maggie comes from the town of Dark Root, Oregon where witchcraft is known to happen. Maggie feels trapped, having to work in her mother's store. Not only that, she has the worst sibling rivalry written. None of her sisters get along and they run off at their first chance. Maggie leaves as well, with Michael, the day he shows up in her mother's shop and tells her he has come for her. Her life takes on a mind of it's own until they settle down in northern California in a place called Woodhaven. There, her and Michael's love grows, and so does their family. Some people called it a cult, they called it a following of God. Until one day, she finds Michael in the arms of another woman and her whole world spins out of control. On top of that, she is needed back home and she has no idea what awaits her. As the story unfolds, Maggie wants to run but she knows something dark and sinister is there and only her and her family can save them.

I fell in love with this story! I was so overcome with feelings at the story of Maggie and Michael; that is until he was found with another woman. Then I hated him! Good job April for making me hate him!

Then, on her way back to Dark Root where her family is waiting for her, Maggie runs into an old friend who not only helps her escape the clutches of a madman but gives her a ride to Dark Root when her bus leaves her behind. Shane is an amazing character. I love that he is so normal. He isn't over-exaggerated to make the story tantalizing. He is just enough to make me intrigued. I like the connection to their past that he has.

The sibling rivalry is unreal. I feel so sorry for Maggie that the only family she has in the world can't even get along. There are so many secrets behind it all and it is astounding how the author keeps you so interested in what is going on. Normally, I would be turned off by something so dramatic, but this book is so well written that I couldn't take my eyes off the pages. I just had to know!!

I like the darkness in the background of the story; how it lurks even when the author hasn't focused on it. It was very well managed and very unsettling at times. Especially when she was dreaming. I liked the little bits of her past coming out in her dreams. It gave me some insight into why the family is so dysfunctional. 

All in all, I loved this book! The author outdid herself. The writing was superb, the idea was exceptional, and the characters were exquisite. I can't wait for the next book!! 5 out of 5 stars.

Amazon

       Harvest Home, Dark Root, Oregon

October, 1995

“Maggie, wake up.” Merry jostled her sister, rousing her from her nap on the couch.

Maggie sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked around. For a moment she forgot that she was in the living room of Harvest Home.

“Already?” Maggie asked, pushing herself onto elbows.

A loud chime coming from the grandfather clock confirmed that that it was midnight, time for the ritual. Maggie felt the chill from the open door and looked around for her sweater.

“We aren’t supposed to wear anything other than our robes tonight,” Merry cautioned, but helped Maggie into the sweater, anyways.

“Where’s Eve?” Maggie asked. If she was going to have to wander the woods in the middle of the night for some crazy ritual, then Eve better be up, too. Maggie saw her standing by the door, jumping up and down, not tired at all.

Miss Sasha and six of her friends emerged from the dining room, talking excitedly and exchanging knowing glances.

“You girls ready?” Miss Sasha asked. This was to be their first grown up moon chant and Miss Sasha could hardly contain herself. She noticed the sweater Maggie wore over her long blue robe and frowned but didn’t mention it.

Merry, Maggie, Eve, and Ruth Anne followed their mother and her friends into the night.

It was cold and the sisters shivered as they wound their way along an old dirt road shrouded by trees to a circular clearing, a half-mile away. The girls had played in the clearing many times during the day, but this was the first time they had seen it beneath the light of a full moon. The grass looked dewy and lush as the soft light fell upon each blade, but the trees that surrounded the meadow looked foreboding and ominous, as if their long, twisted boughs were ready to snatch the girls, if given the chance.

“What are we doing here again?” Maggie asked, as they made their way towards the center of the circle. “...And how long do we have to stay out?”

The adults moved to a point in the very center of the clearing and the girls positioned themselves a few dozen feet behind them.

Ruth Anne surveyed the area and sat, cross-legged, on the moist grass. “We are rooting out the evil spirits that are trying to infest Dark Root.” Her voice was as flat and informational as an encyclopedia entry.

She reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a key-chain flashlight and a comic book and started reading.

“How do we do that?” Maggie asked, watching as the elders––five women and two men––linked raised hands towards the sky.

They began singing, a soft melodic chant that Maggie had heard before.

Merry answered, “Every fall, the Council of Seven places a protective spell around our town. It must be done before the second half of the year begins, on November 1st. It keeps out the dark energies and ensures that the circle is strong.”

Maggie hopped on one foot, and then the other, trying to find warmth in the chill of the night. “But why do we have to do it now?” she moaned. “When it’s so cold?”

Ruth Anne responded, never lifting her eyes from her book. “It’s the witching hour.

According to legend, the hours between twelve and three AM are when all things magical, including witches, are at their most powerful.” She turned the page of her book and cracked a smile at one of the drawings. “...It’s too bad we can’t keep out the crazy.”

Maggie widened her eyes. “But if witches are the most powerful now, won’t the bad things be more powerful too?”

“I’m scared,” Eve said, jumping in place as the elders continued their chant. Eve liked magick, but only the lighter arts, and those that yielded her a reward.

Merry took Eve’s hand and kissed it, and Maggie latched onto Merry’s other hand.

“I’m scared, too,” Merry fibbed.

Merry wasn’t afraid of anything.

There was a long silence, followed by the heavy beat of a loud drum. Miss Sasha looked over her shoulder at her daughters, letting them know that it was almost their turn. They had been practicing the spell for weeks now, and Maggie hoped she wouldn’t forget the words.

Ruth Anne set down her comic book and the four girls clasped hands and waded towards the center of the circle.

Miss Sasha nodded and the girls began their incantation.

 As the Witching Hour chimesAnd the whole world sleeps and dreamsWe join our hands in sisterhoodStaving back the darklingsThe circle stands, its shape eternalThough the darkness is still beckoningOur light will ward back the infernalAnd shield us from the doomsday reckoning Maggie was still tired and stumbled on a few of the words, completely missing some of them; however, Merry spoke them as loud and clearly as she recited The Pledge of Allegiance at school. All the while, Eve played with her hair and hardly tried at all. For her part, Ruth Anne recited the words without emotion, anxious to get back to her comic book.

“Who wrote the spell?” Ruth Anne had asked their mother earlier that day while they were preparing. “It doesn’t sound right.”

“It doesn’t matter if it sounds right or not,” Miss Sasha had explained. “It’s the power of words––especially when spoken in numbers––that matters. When we stand together, no enemy would dare traverse the boundaries of Dark Root.”

Maggie caught a movement to her right. She thought she had seen a dark form take shape and then vanish. And then another. Were they coming or going? She couldn’t tell. 

1 prize back featuring a mug, keychain, pen, signed book and a few assorted other goodies- open to US Shipping

5 Kindle Versions of the book gifted from Amazon

3 Signed paperbacks sent to winner- open to US Shipping 

a Rafflecopter giveaway