Hunting for Witches
The Ludus: Book One
Lana Pecherczyk
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Creative Cartel Publishing
Date of Publication: April 25th 2015
ISBN: 978-0994313911
ASIN: B00V2IBYYA
Number of pages: 424
Word Count: 106,124
Cover Artist: Lana Pecherczyk
Book Description
Witches have been obliterated - or so the world hopes. At 24, Roo struggles to keep her DNA-changing abilities secret. She doesn't feel like a witch, but if she isn't, how can she manipulate the physical world? Why does she feel the energy of all living things?
On tenuous ground, Roo keeps her skills hidden with the help of her sexy songstress BFF and her barmaid job at The Cauldron. Hiding in plain sight seems to be working until a mysterious witch hunter comes to town. Roo's powers are growing and, when a witch possesses the body of her sister, she defends her using any means possible.
Roo is exposed and attacked from all sides. She must learn to trust others while she discovers her identity and masters her powers to save the lives of her loved ones. She needs to convince herself and her town that she's more than a witch.
Inspired by mythology, science and fantasy, this fascinating debut novel is set in a brilliantly envisioned world where life is a secret game played by gods and witches until death ...
Available at Amazon
A FIRE FAIRY REVIEW
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
I love Urban Fantasy. When I find a good UF book I devour it like a big piece of chocolate cake. Hunting For Witches is one of those good books. It's dark, it's gritty, and if you're looking for a good, cheesy romance, this is not the book for you.
The minute I read the synopsis I knew that I have to read Hunting For Witches. I had a feeling that HFW will be a good book and I was not disappointed. I love the world created by the author. It was different and refreshing. In this book, witches are evil creatures who possess a body of a woman to wreak havoc on Earth. A lot different from witches that I read about in other paranormal and fantasy books.
Hunting For Witches is told in the first person by Roo. The main protagonist of the book. In the game of the Gods where the players must compete against each other for the prize of evolution, Roo is an anomaly. For the whole book it was never really clear what she really is. She has both the abilities of a player and a witch - the glitches in the game. I'm looking forward to reading the next book just to find out more about Roo. The story also features Cash, another player and as mysterious as Roo. Like her, he still doesn't know who he is but he can see glimpses of his past lives. I can feel romance brewing between these two but it wasn't pursued in the book. Probably in the next book (I'm hoping...)
Overall, I really love this book. Character-wise I love how the author depicted each one of them, even the evil antagonists. I especially love Roo. She's tough and loyal, and there's so much promise in her character that I can't wait to see how powerful she will become in the next book. I also like Cash, though I didn't really connect with him because there's so much mystery going on around him. Other than that he's ok for me.
I'm giving Hunting for Witches 4 Fairy Wings. The author did an excellent job creating a world parallel yet very different from ours. I'm recommending this to all fantasy fans who love dark stories and doesn't care for romance very much. But as I've mentioned before, there might be romance in the future books so romance readers can also give the series a try. I hope the author releases the next book soon coz I can't wait to find out more about Roo and Cash.
Q: Hi Lana! Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
A: Hello from the land down under! It always marvels me how we can connect to readers from the other side of the world. So, if you haven’t guessed already, I live in Australia – Perth, Western Australia. I’ve been an artist and marketer most of my life with a secret passion for telling stories. Recently, I took the plunge and put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to write my debut, Hunting for Witches. I’m a huge fan of the Urban Fantasy genre and read as much as I can. I have two little balls of energy (a.k.a boys) and illustrate and design all of the artwork you see on my books and websites. I’m also a massive Sailor Moon fan. No judgement.
Q: Describe Hunting for Witches in 10 words or less.
A: Evolution is the Game, Witches are the Glitch.
Q: What inspired you to write Hunting for Witches? Was it a particular event, person or something else altogether?
A: I actually was inspired by the Bloc Party song ‘Hunting for Witches’. The song is actually about the London Bombings, but my mind conjured images of real witches ‘taking our jobs and taking our women’. I turned this into an ‘evil body snatching witches’ concept. Then I thought, what if it wasn’t only witches, but another level of higher beings—gods? What if they were here first and used humans to download their souls into then play a game, masquerading as us to further their own evolution? Then that became, what if there was a secret war going on between the two? The book centres on a girl, Roo, who is caught between both worlds—one hidden and one out in the open.
Q: What is it about witches that has you fascinated?
A: Definitely the power one has over nature and the costs that this power can bring. When I wrote ‘Hunting for Witches’, I wanted to keep most of the elements we like about witches but to show two different sides to the story. I wanted to keep the magical power over nature but I gave this a scientific twist. In this world, magic is the ability to use one’s body consciously as the normal human does subconsciously. Change the colour of your nails, release pheromones to attract the opposite sex, create a virus to hex your enemy... no matter what you do, if it’s for selfish reasons you could be faced with selfish consequences.
Q: If you could bring ONE character from your book to the real world who would it be? And why?
A: Cash is an interesting character. He’s suffered from an affliction that lets him remember his past lives, whether they be fun or horrific. Imagine being able to see into the past, or to have the knowledge of a thousand men? I’d like to ask him many secrets that have been lost—then there is Marc, the egotistical god who says what he likes and does what he wants but has to remain shackled to the rules of the hidden game they play. I’ve always been fascinated by the secrets of the universe and Marc is my way of exploring the possibilities.
Q: Did you always know you were going to be an author?
A: Absolutely not. I’ve always loved to write and tell stories, but until recently I never believed I could. I thought that you had to have a degree, or was able to communicate incredibly well, and ask any of my friends—my mummy brain has never left. I forget words, mix them up and often get lost in a daydream mid-sentence. This didn’t mean I wasn’t good at writing and when I finally listened to that pestering inner voice, I found out that I could tell as good a tale as many of them.
Q: Are you working on anything else right now? Or planning to?
A: Yes. I have the second release in the series half written—it’s a novella told from two main male characters of The Ludus series. I’ve also started a dystopian story called ‘The Common’ and I’m collaborating with a friend, Louisa Loder, on a Young Adult series. I’ve also started a business with her that offers our self-publishing services to anyone else who wants to write and publish. It’s called Creative Cartel Publishing. http://www.creativecartelpublishing.com.au
Q: Any words of advice to aspiring authors around the world?
A: Anyone can write. Just start. Write in your favourite genre, read your favourite genre and just write. NaNoWriMo is a great community and free place to get yourself started.
About the Author
As an author, marketer, and artist, Lana Pecherczyk is a triple threat! She also makes a mean chocolate cake, and has Level 46 Creative Mojo. A fan of ‘pro-caffeinating’, Lana loves writing mash-ups of the fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and horror genres.
An author in her own right, with her urban fantasy novel Hunting for Witches recently released, Lana creates all of her own cover work and illustrations, and infuses websites with her unique stylistic talent and quirky graphic design.
She loves Sailor Moon. No judgement.
Tour Giveaway
5 print copies of Hunting for Witches
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