I am thrilled to share this amazing new book! A Conventicle of Magpies is the first book in the Bloodskills duology, and today we have an exclusive excerpt for you, and a chance to win a signed copy of the book!
A Conventicle of Magpies
Publication Date: January 6th, 2021
Genre: Gaslamp Fantasy/ Adventure/ Steampunk
Rook is a thief, and entirely unapologetic about it as she’s determined to do anything to ensure her mother and siblings survive the squalid and dangerous streets of Stamchester.
Rook slips in and out of the homes of the ruling elite of Stamchester, the Avanish,like a shadow taking what she needs without regret.
Why should she? Had the Avanish not stolen her own people, the Saouiasei, from their own homes years before and transported them across the ocean to Stamchester to work as virtual slaves?
And, now the Avanish had no more use for Rook and her people, where they not determined to dispose of them?
The Avanish had already laid waste to a swathe of Saouiasei homes, a region which had become known as ‘The Scar’, in an attempt to drive them out?
However, Rook was not the only person hiding in the shadows. A far more dangerous figure was haunting the filthy streets of Stamchester striking fear into Avanish and Saouiasei alike; Billy Drainer, a serial killer who not only murdered his victims but drained them of every ounce of their precious, life giving blood.
For within blood was a highly sought-after commodity, the ability to enhance a person’s natural abilities through the art of Bloodskill. To be faster and stronger than a normal person was something those with money were willing to pay handsomely for.
‘A Conventicle of Magpies’ is a fast-paced gaslamp fantasy adventure set in a Victorian-inspired world. Perfect for fans of Charlie N. Holmberg’s Spellbreaker and Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.
Add to Goodreads | Available on Amazon
Review:
A Conventicle of Magpies by L.M.R. Clarke is a beautifully written, gaslamp fantasy, set in a Victorian-inspired world. It is the first in the Bloodskills Duology and I’m so excited to read the next book!
When I say fast-paced, I mean it. It started off with a bang and kept going through the whole book. I was engaged and couldn’t put this one down.
I am obsessed with the world building. Gaslamp fantasy is just such a unique genre and this author created such beautiful imagery. I need more world building like this. Absolutely wonderful.
Not only that, but the characters are absolutely compelling. Our heroine, Rook, is amazing. She is such a well rounded character. The side characters are also really great. I felt like I knew the people I was reading about.
I loved this book. I can’t wait for more. Highly recommended!
Rating:
5/5☆
*I received a free copy of this book from R&R Book to review honestly on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*
Excerpt
Safe and sound in the Magpie’s Nest, Rook divested herself of her corseted dress and heels and returned to the comfort of a shirt and trousers. The young woman fell into an armchair, threw her booted feet onto the battered coffee table, and plucked up a newspaper. Even though she’d been out all day, she hadn’t seen the latest in the Stamchester Review. As she scanned the page, Rook shook her head, and a lock of black hair fell over her face.
YET ANOTHER BLOODLESS CORPSE
At two o’clock this morning, a police constable came upon the scene of yet another gruesome murder. The body, which has not yet been identified, was found on the southbank end of the Buxridge Bridge. Like the other five bodies found in similar circumstances over the last few months, the corpse appeared to be drained of every last ounce of blood. Suspicion for this killing falls once more on the elusive fiend known only as Billy Drainer, although Inspector Kip Kerstammen declined to comment on this observation.
Rook licked her thumb and flicked to the next page. Inches and inches of news stretched through the broadsheet, as always full of sensationalism and very little fact. Only two parties enjoyed Stamchester’s string of murders: so-called Billy Drainer himself, whoever he was, and the newspapers. Both made significant gains from the events. News was always a profitable commodity in Stamchester, but blood was more valuable than gold. Those corpses weren’t bloodless for no reason.
A cough came from the doorway. Rook glanced up from the grim columns. A slim figure stood in the doorway, a tiny girl at the end of her teenage years. Pigeon stood in the low doorframe that led to the main Nest bar and jerked her head. The action sent her mass of dark curls tumbling to one side.
I’m LMR Clarke, though you can call me Rain, and I’m a writer from Northern Ireland. I’m thirty-something, a parent, and a teacher. I love books and I also draw.
I’m an enby (non-binary) and am still finding my way! My stories are all about identity and acceptance and trying to find your place in the world.
LMR Clarke| Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Click the link below for a chance to win a signed edition of A Conventicle of Magpies (International)
Book Tour Schedule
February 1st
Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com
Books Rambling and Tea (Review) https://booksramblingsandtea.com/
Debjani’s Thoughts (Spotlight) https://debjanisthoughts.wordpress.com/
Phantom of the Library (Review) https://phantomofthelibrary.com/
@brendajeancombs (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/brendajeancombs/
The Faerie Review (Spotlight) http://www.thefaeriereview.com
February 2nd
Gwendalyn’s Books (Review) https://gwendalynbooks.blog/
I Smell Sheep (Review) http://www.ismellsheep.com/
Breakeven Books (Spotlight) https://breakevenbooks.com
Nesie’s Place (Spotlight) https://nesiesplace.wordpress.com
I’m All About Books (Spotlight) https://imallaboutbooks.com/
February 3rd
Rambling Mads (Review) http://ramblingmads.com
@better_0ff_read (Spotlight w/ Review to follow) https://www.instagram.com/BETTER_0FF_READ/
@joanna.zoe (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/joanna.zoe/?igshid=1xipr7pa6a9zl
@ebl_inc (Review) https://www.instagram.com/ebl_inc/
The Magic of Wor(l)ds (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/the_magic_of_worlds/
February 4th
Book Review Crew (Review) https://bookreviewcrew.blogspot.com
Jessica Belmont (Review) https://jessicabelmont.wordpress.com/
Sophril Reads (Review) http://sophrilreads.wordpress.com
@dreaminginpages (Review) https://www.instagram.com/dreaminginpages/
February 5th
@ypsylynn (Spotlight w/ Review to Follow) https://www.instagram.com/jypsylynn/
Bonnie Reads & Writes (Review) https://bonniereadsandwrites.wordpress.com
The Invisible Moth (Review) https://daleydowning.wordpress.com
Michelle Meng’s Book Blog 3 (Review) http://michellemengsbookblog3.simplesite.com/
@hoardingbooks.herdingcats (Review) https://www.instagram.com/hoardingbooks.herdingcats/
Let me know what you think in the comments. I’d love to interact with you. If this sounds like something you would read, let me know!
Jessica Belmont 