Hi everyone! Today I’m excited to participate in the bookstagram & creative blog tour for The Monster of Selkirk Book 1: The Duality of Nature by C.E. Clayton hosted by MTMC Tours! Check below my tour stop and make sure to visit all the bookstagram & creative stops for a chance to win the international giveaway!
The Duality of Nature by C.E. Clayton Series: The Monster of Selkirk #1
Published by DevilDog Press ISBN: 1546469680
on April 18, 2017
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 326
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
Buy on Amazon|Book Depository
Source: Author, MTMC Tours
I received this book for free from Author, MTMC Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Monsters do not hide under the bed on the Island of Selkirk. Monsters haunt the forests in the form of feral elves with knife sharp teeth, vicious talons, and sickly, glowing yellow eyes. For centuries the people of Selkirk have fought these monsters, enacting a Clearing every four years to push the elves back from their borders. Then, after one such Clearing, a babe is found abandoned in the wreckage.
Tallis only desires a path of her choosing, to live without attention or interference. Along with her friends, she dreams of leaving Kincardine and going where no one knows them, to live unhindered by the prejudice that comes of being poor, an outsider, an orphan. All Tallis needs is enough coin, and she’ll be free. But the monsters have other plans.
Hissing her name like a battle mantra, the elves pour into Kincardine, devouring and burning everything in their path. Fleeing her home in secret, Tallis and her friends must discover why the creatures are so intent on finding her, and stop them from framing her as the real monster of Selkirk.
…The Reader’s Review…
The Daulity of Nature was a fun read! Reminiscent of beloved fantasy tales, this action-packed story is full of adventure, friendship, and yes, feral elves!
This first installment in the Monster of Selkirk series follows the life of Tallis, who was found and rescued in a forest after a Clearing to drive away the elves from their borders. The couple that found her raised her as their own, but while Tallis’ adoptive mother loved her unconditionally, her adoptive father barely tolerated her presence since there was something “off” about her.
However, Tallis’ father wasn’t the only one to think this way, the rest of her small town made her an outcast, and thus, she found refuge in the books she loved to read at night at a nearby monastery and by playing and practicing fighting skills with her only cousin, Donovan.
I enjoyed the way this book is told since we follow along Tallis’ childhood to her teen years. We see her grow from a happy and overactive child, to a young woman desperate to find her place in this world. Her aversion to be raised just to be sold off on the Bride Block drives her to work harder and make coin, to later make a life of her own and also make her parents proud. This leads her to develop a wonderful friendship with Rosslyn who loves to pick pockets and live a free life.
Tallis may not have many friends as an outcast, but the people who matter and she befriends along the way make up for it all. The friends she makes along the way help her out tremendously on her journey of self-discovery, for the times come when she has to leave her home and hunt down the elves that took the life of her mother and whisper her name when they are known to have lost the ability to communicate for several years.
I must admit, there were times when this book was confusing with the way it is written, and it’s truly a more of a tell rather than showing kind of book, but after getting used to the omniscient writing style and getting to know the characters a bit more, the story was entertaining to read about and quite a fantastical journey that leaves a lot of room to explore in the following sequels!
…Meet the Main Characters of The Monster of Selkirk!…
In the Duality of Nature we get a great, unconventional squad. Our main charater, Tallis, doesn’t go on a solo mission to find out where she comes from and who she is– she gets followed and supported by Donovan, Rosslyn and Tomas who we are as interesting and unique as Tallis herself! I did fall for this set of characters and they are one of the reasons why you should pick up this series!
Tallis
- Tallis grows up feeling like an outsider, but this doesn’t stop her from finding her own interests! With the help of her cousing, Donovan, she learns how to fight and defend herself just in case she has need for it in the future. But not only that, Tallis also has a bookish heart and you can usually find her at the monastery reading all of the books!
“She hated the world where otherwise good men and women would need to resort to this just to have a day of fun, or excitement, or distraction. She despised the men who took advantage of the plight of these families.”
Donovan
- 6+ years older than Tallis, Donovan grows up protecting his younger cousin like an older brother and teaching her fighting skills he learns as a Knight. Raised by his father alone, Donovan has a gentle heart and would do ANYTHING to protect the people he loves and his small town, even if it means getting called crazy for believing the tremps (feral elves) might be plotting something.
“He always wanted to see Tallis as the little girl he had grown up with and known the better part of his life. He always wanted to see Tallis as the little girl who would try to catch stray cats in the alley and chase him around in the mud with a makeshift sword.”
Rosslyn
- A Sipsi by heart, Rosslyn comes from a clan that values freedom and respects people’s choices to do what their hearts please. Rosslyn is charismatic and loyal, but has a knack of pickpocketting your coins if you don’t watch out! She’s the kind of friend everyone needs, for she’s a happy and SMART person to have by your side.
Rosslyn in a nutshell:
“Oh! Mum, Pop, this here’s Tallis. Tried stealing from her and she chased me right to the docks before bringing me down. Do we have anymore chicken pie that I can share with her?”
And another Rosslyn quote because she rocks! ♥
“Please, I’ve got the Galon Sipsiwn, and my life is my onw. My mum and pop know that, and they would never force me to stay if I didn’t want to. Now quit trying to get rid of me, it’s getting annoying.”
Tomas
We meet Tomas when Tallis is young, but briefly. Orphaned and raised at the Monastery that Tallis enjoys sneaking into at night, he has watched over Tallis and admired her strength and curiosity. However, as he grows into a young man, his own curiosity and talent for inventions makes him question if he should keep following his path of becoming a Brother at the Monastery… or perhaps following his heart into something more!
From Tallis about Tomas:
“I know how you see the world, Tomas. You look at it and want more. You search for answers to questions you didn’t even know to ask. Life seems a little … empty, for lack of a better word. I know that look. It’s the same one I have.”
INTL Tour-Wide Giveaway!
Head over to my Instagram account for a chance to win signed copies of the first two books in The Monster of Selkirk series along with a bookmark and an exclusive character art print of the main character, Tallis. Open INTL!
(And don’t miss out the rest of the tour stops to get more chances to win!!!)
Tour Schedule:
September 2
@thereaderandthechef – Bookstagram + Blog
September 3
@Forest_of_pages – Bookstagram
September 4
@paperfury – Bookstagram + Blog
September 5
@bookpuppeteer – Bookstagram
September 6
@ernest.bookingway – Bookstagram + Blog
September 7
@bookishly_tiff – Bookstagram
September 8
@shelfrated – Bookstagram + Blog
September 9
@amanda.the.bookish – Bookstagram
September 10
@book_rambler – Bookstagram + Blog
September 11
@_ebl_inc_ – Bookstagram
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About C.E. Clayton
C. E. Clayton was born and raised in the greater Los Angeles area. After going the traditional career route and becoming restless, she went back to her first love—writing—and hasn’t stopped. She is the author of young adult fantasy series, “The Monster of Selkirk”, the creator of the cyberpunk Eerden Novels, and her horror short stories have appeared in anthologies across the country. When she’s not writing you can find her treating her fur-babies like humans, constantly drinking tea, and trying to convince her husband to go to more concerts. And reading. She does read quite a bit. More about C.E. Clayton, including her blog, book reviews, social media presence, and newsletter, can be found on her website. She’d also be thrilled if you followed her on Instagram and liked her bookish and pet photos, and Amazon where you can get updates on her new releases. And there’s always Facebook, if that’s your thing.
Sounds like quite a read. Really loved the way you broke down the characters for us. Quite a pretty cover and I understood it better after reading you review 🙂
It’s a fun one for sure!!! Glad you enjoyed the character break-down. ♥