Blog Tour - Treasure Darkly by Jordan Elizabeth Mierek

Beware a Treasure Darkly…

(The stunning cover art is thanks to Amalia Chitulescu)

Seventeen-year-old Clark Treasure assumes the drink he stole off the captain is absinthe…until the chemicals in the liquid give him the ability to awaken the dead. A great invention for creating perfect soldiers, yes, but Clark wants to live as a miner, not a slave to the army—or the deceased. On the run, Clark turns to his estranged tycoon father for help. The Treasures welcome Clark with open arms, so he jumps at the chance to help them protect their ranch against Senator Horan, a man who hates anyone more powerful than he.

And he is not alone. His new found sister, Amethyst, thinks that's rather dashing, until Horan kidnaps her, and all she gets is a bullet through her heart. When Clark brings her back to life, she realizes he's more than just street-smart - and he's not really a Treasure. Amethyst’s boring summer at home has turned into an adventure on the run, chock full of intrigue, danger, love, and a mysterious boy named Clark.

TREASURE DARKLY, book 1 of the Treasure Chronicles

This young adult novel is a dark mix of steampunk, the paranormal and romance in a “Wild West” setting. 

Below is an excerpt from TREASURE DARKLY.  You can read more on the Curiosity Quills Press website.

“Looks like he did drink it up.” The general client spoke from the right. “Must’ve interacted with all that bloody hertum. Look at ‘im, he’s bleeding already.”

“What’s it gonna do to him?” the guard from the morning asked.

“Lots of stuff.” The general laughed. “When he touches the dead, he’ll be able to bring them back, and exchange that life for another. Perfect soldier, huh? We only have one vial ready and I was going to give it to a lucky fellow. Guess it will be this boy.”

“Whatcha gonna do with him?” The guard snickered.

“Have to be a test subject,” the general said. “Sure thought it was that Judy who stole my bottle. Pity I killed her. She sure knew how to make my pecker sing.”

Judy.

Clark’s mother.

Clark bolted off the ground and ran. He could hide in the hole under the shed behind the brothel. Mable never found him under there. He might be cursed with raising the dead—he’d already done that to the poor mine worker—but it didn’t mean he’d let them take him for tests.

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You can read more about Amethyst Treasure in GEARS OF BRASS, a steampunk anthology from Curiosity Quills Press available now from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Our Reviews: 
***We received the eBook free as a review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***

Angelina:
I was really looking forward to reading this book, as it is my first steampunk novel and I really hope that I am not the only one who thinks that the cover looks amazing. I can definitely say that this book did not disappoint me at all. In fact, I feel like I have found a gold nugget. 

If you look back at most of my other reviews, you would find that I would comment that the beginnings are mostly kind of dull and that you have to power through those bits to get to the good part. But in this book, you immediately get immersed in the story and gradually, piece by piece, you start to understand that world better. It is based on a Wild West society with a lot of technology.  In the very beginning, I already liked Mable because she was so cute, innocent and adorable. It took me some time to adjust to Clark but he is a very likable character, he has amazing survival skills and best of all, he can do a roundhouse kick! Also, unlike most main characters, he actually plans stuff out and doesn't go charging into a suicide mission. Anyway, he can bring people back from the dead! If he sees his friend die, no worries, help is at hand! That is really cool. Amethyst was really whiny at the beginning, but then she started learning survival skills and she actually tried to fight back at times. Her romance with Clark though was always a bit awkward for me and I found Amethyst a but to flirtatious, but otherwise she was a strong character. 

The plot itself is pretty exciting, I found it kind of funny how on every page, a fistfight escalated immediately into a gunshot. The action appeared on every page and that was part of the reason of what made the reader want to keep going. It is really cool, how everything lead to the final ending.

I really enjoyed reading this book, I never got bored reading it and really recommend it to people who enjoy paranormal, romance, a bit of Young Adult and a lot of adventure. I finally give it 4 out of 5 stars! 

Jessica:
I actually really enjoyed this book. I didn't get much time to read the book (three days to be exact) but I didn't need all of that time, it was a one sit read for me which left me extremely dazed afterwards.
The plot in this book was extremley unique. Before I read this I checked in my read list and saw that I had never read a steam punk book, which made everything exciting and new. The world building was one of the best I have ever seen. Jorden Mierek really took her time with every little detail and left nothing unexplained. The main character, Clark, at the begging of the book acquired the ability to guide the dead back to the living world which was pretty cool, although it was a tad bit confusing at the beginning about how the drink brought about these abilities it was gradually explained over time. This book was filled with short bursts of action which made it extremley exciting, and the action never dragged on. In fact in never thought that this book dragged on once, Jordan Mierek created a steady plot and a great ending which summed up the books events nicely.
The character were all well developed. Clark was smart, could defend himself and was likable. He always put everyone else's needs before his, he always thought through his actions and hardly ever made a stupid decision. Amethyst was, at the begging of the book, your typical maiden in distress which I hated and I knew that some serious character development was going to have to occur
for me to like her and it did. She learned how to shoot, ride and became more considerate of others. She turned for my least favourite character into my favourite.
Finally I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Jordan Elizabeth, formally Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, is the author of ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW, available from Curiosity Quills Press.  Check out Jordan’s website, JordanElizabethMierek.com, for contests and book signing locales.  Jordan is represented by Belcastro Agency and she is president of the Utica Writers Club.

No blog tour is complete without a giveaway. Enter below for a chance to win a paperback copy of GEARS OF BRASS. You can find the giveaway in the side bar to the right.