Today I’m excited to participate in the Bookstagram & Creative Tour for Evoked by Olivia Martinez hosted by MTMC Tours. It’s the first installment in The Ethos Series, an Adult Fantasy Romance full of twists, turns, shocks, and secrets, this story will be sure to hook you in from the very first page. Published on October 30th, 2021!
Evoked turned out to be my last read of January and I’m pleased to share with you my thoughts below + a few aesthetic graphics inspired by the book. And make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to find out how to win a copy & an Amazon gift card!
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Evoked (The Ethos Series, #1) by Olivia Martinez
Published by Clarkenhome Press on October 30, 2021
Genres: Fantasy, YA, Romance
Pages: 244
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.
Two impurities that shouldn’t exist. Four opposing factions that all want them dead. Are their powers strong enough to keep them alive?
Valerie Spencer was seven when she learned the earth behaved rather strangely when in her presence. And, though she found it captivating, her parents made a point to keep her gift hidden from the world and even from Valerie herself.
But, after her brother’s mysterious death, Valerie is thrown into a world that she’s been kept from since birth; and in this world, it’s quite impossible to overlook such a gift. So, when her abilities are finally brought to light, Valerie is shocked to find they are received with fear and disgust as opposed to admiration.
You see, in a world where manipulating the elements is essential to one’s survival, Valerie is found to be straddling the line between two rival elements. And, because these elementals are determined to keep their bloodlines pure, Valerie is forced to fight against dismal odds, betrayals, and her very own nature to save herself and those she loves most.
But, when Valerie begins to fall for a man that just so happens to be a cross between two elements himself, she discovers she has made far fewer friends than she once believed….
Content Warnings for Evoked:Suicide, explicit sexual content, nudity, death, reference to past sexual violence, vomit and bodily fluids, swearing, warfare and violence, gore, blood, corpses, homophobia, mental illness, religious shaming, self-harm, depression, and torture.
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Why you need to read Evoked
“I had known something was off about me for years. I had seen the earth do strange things every now and then while growing up, though my parents never acknowledge it—I reckon for a good reason, now.”
Evoked is an adult fantasy romance story full of plot twists and a shocking beginning that immediately hooks. Valerie, the main character, suddenly finds herself thrown into a secret world hidden in plain sight from humans as she discovers that she is one of them.
I always find books that deal with elemental magic fascinating, which was something that drew me into the world of Evoked pretty quickly. In this world you will find Elementals who can harness the power of an element, aka ethos. They are divided into four groups: Ventus (air), Natura (earth), Ignis (fire) and Icis (water). However, Valerie’s arrival to The Oasis, which is the elementals’ world, is far from welcoming since she has the ability to wield TWO elements, something they do not allow among them.
Evoked has a great array of characters & it was fun to meet them, such as Zoran and Cora who helped Valerie and offered their friendship straight away. And then there is Levi, Valerie’s love interest, who is a broody/serious type of person and overall pretty cool (although a terrible singer 😂).
Oh, and speaking of Levi, Evoked is also full of fun pop culture references–from Clueless & Toy Story to Attack on Titan, which made it hard to not imagine Levi & Eren from AOT making crossovers in here since the characters named like them share a bit of their personalities.
All in all, Evoked turned out to be a fast paced read where the stakes could not be any higher. With bits of humor and romance sprinkled throughout, I found myself suddenly flipping to the end, now excited to read what comes next in Valerie’s journey.
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Aesthetics based on the Ethos from Evoked!
As part of our tour stop, I decided to create aesthetics based on the different forms of elemental magic found on Evoked! In this series, depending on the type of power they harness, it also influences on their physical characteristics. It inspired me to design the four groups of elemental abilities: Ventus, Natura, Ignis and Icis! I had fun creating this, hope you like them!!
✨ VENTUS ✨
✨ NATURA ✨
✨ IGNIS ✨
✨ ICIS ✨
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INTL Tour-wide Instagram Giveaway!
Head over to my Instagram account to enter the tour giveaway where TWO lucky readers will win a $25.00 USD Amazon gift card and a signed paperback!
Ends on February 12th, 2022. Winners will be announced on @mtmctours’ Instagram account.
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Tour Schedule:
January 31
@paperfury – Bookstagram & Book Blog
February 1
@thesimple.booklover – Bookstagram
February 2
@thereaderandthechef – Bookstagram & Book Blog
February 3
@farawaybooklands – Bookstagram
February 4
@bookbriefs – Bookstagram & Book Blog
February 5
@readerofthewrittenword – Bookstagram
February 6
@by_the_bookcase – Bookstagram & Book Tok
February 7
@mariannareads_ – Bookstagram
February 8
@yourbookishfriendcom – Bookstagram & Book Blog
February 9
@the.magicalpages – Bookstagram
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Hosted by:
About Olivia Martinez
Olivia Martinez was born in Cuba and raised in Miami, FL. As she grew, so did her fascination with animals, nature, and everything magical. While she dreamt of becoming a zoologist, the fictional worlds offered by novels like the Sookie Stackhouse series, The Hunger Games series, and The Host reeled her in and refused to let go. She decided to try her hand at writing and found her passions could be fused together to create a world all her own. And so, that she did with her debut novel: Evoked.
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