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November 5, 2013

Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway ~ The Vesik Series by Eric R. Asher


Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the Vesik Series Blog Tour hosted by Girls Heart Books Tours. Click here to follow along with the full blog tour schedule! :D


Title: Days Gone Bad
Series: Vesik #1
Author: Eric R. Asher
Publication date: February 8th 2013 
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Review copy

Blog Tour organized by: Girls Heart Books Tours 


~ Synopsis ~

My name is Damian Valdis Vesik. I am a necromancer, an ability feared and hated as much as the powers my master and I set ourselves against. We've vanquished many evils, but now something is releasing an old darkness, forcing us to hunt an enemy beyond anything I've faced before. I was already busy enough with vampires, fairies, witches, Watchers, weddings, and ... damn, I need a vacation.

~ My Thoughts ~ 

My Rating: 5 / 5 

Days Gone Bad is infused with humor and stellar writing. The characters are amazingly well fleshed out - you feel like you really know them. My favorite character is Damian and not just because he's the main character. He talks to you like you're an old friend, he has a great sense of humor, and he's brave. Plus he's a necromancer - a necromancer who isn't evil. He's become one of my new book boyfriends! I also thought it was really interesting that Damian casts spells to fight against demons and rogue vampires.    

Damian's vampire sister, Sam, is a close second as one of my favorite characters. She's full of life (haha), spunky, and beautiful. I love that she has this gorgeous, straight black hair. Damian and Sam have a close relationship, and they get along well. Damian seemed to be protective of his sister, and that's one of the many things I appreciated about him.     

I really liked how the fairies are bad ass - there is nothing sparkly or dainty about them. Foster, his wife, and his mother Cara are tough cookies - you can tell by the way Cara reacts when she thinks the new employee Damian hired has insulted fairies. They will tear you limb from limb if you aren't careful around them! That's how they should be. ;)   

I liked the gore. That makes me sound demented I suppose, but as someone who's a huge horror fan of both gory horror as well as psychological horror, I like to see the "monsters" get splattered. With all of the supernatural creatures running around wreaking havoc, Days Gone Bad couldn't be told as well without some gore - Damian and his friends are battling for their very lives. There are going to be casualties. Gory scenes are just satisfying, especially when a puppet master rogue vampire is after my Damian! 

Days Gone Bad is packed with action, humor, and some bloody fun. I highly recommend this for readers who enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse series, or even if you were disappointed by the series. Asher breathes new life into the urban fantasy genre, and I'm excited to see where the next installment takes us.  

~ Purchase Links ~ 
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks  



Title: Wolves and the River of Stone
Series: Vesik #2 
Author: Eric R. Asher
Publication date: October 22nd 2013 
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Review copy 


~ Synopsis ~ 

Philip, Zola's boyfriend from one hundred and fifty years ago, is not nearly as dead as we thought. I really wish he was. Not only has he kidnapped Zola, but he's raising an army to scour humanity from the earth. Hopefully the local werewolf pack will help. What could possibly go wrong?

~ My Thoughts ~

My Rating: 5 / 5

Wolves and the River of Stone starts off with action right away, and you're pulled into Damian's world as though you never left. As a matter of fact, this book starts off right where the first book ended. Asher's style of writing is stellar - I can't stress that enough. His writing skills make me jealous! ;)  

How shocked was I to find out Philip is not only very much alive but also raising an army? And had Zola, his ex-girlfriend, kidnapped? Very! What a shocking and awesome twist that turned out to be. The way Zola spoke of him in the first book, Days Gone Bad, you just wouldn't have thought of him as a bad guy, at least in the beginning. I did have a strange feeling when Zola told Damian in the first book that she found Philip's body two years before - that's the amount of time she disappeared, and Damian didn't know where she had gone. I thought that seemed awfully coincidental and had tucked that away in my memory bank for later. 

I love these characters! The dialogue is natural, and you can tell they care about each other, showing that in their own ways. If their world wasn't so dangerous, I'd want to hang out with them for sure. I loved meeting the new characters, too. They added even more to this story and are just as vivid as the other characters. 

The way Asher blends all of these different supernatural characters together is masterful, and I haven't read a lot of books with characters who are necromancers, which is one of the main aspects that drew me to this series. Everything about this series is amazing - the action, the romance, the characters, the plot...I'll be recommending this series to everyone I know. I'm the go-to girl of my family and friends for book recommendations. ;)

I feel lucky that I was able to read Wolves and the River of Stone right after Days Gone Bad. As much as I wish I had read Days Gone Bad when it was first published, I feel almost spoiled to be able to go right into the second novel. I don't know if I would've been able to stand the wait for this one! 

~ Purchase Links ~ 
Amazon | B&N | Kobo


~ About the Author: Eric R. Asher ~ 


Eric is a former bookseller, guitarist, and comic seller currently living in Saint Louis, Missouri. A lifelong enthusiast of books, music, toys, and games, he discovered a love for the written word after being dragged to the library by his parents at a young age. When he is not writing, you can usually find him reading, gaming, or buried beneath a small avalanche of Transformers.

~ Social Links ~ 


~ Giveaway ~  





13 comments:

  1. Hey! Well, I suppose I can say more. ;) Thanks for joining the tour! I am so glad you enjoyed both books.

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    1. I'm proud to be a part of your tour! I can't wait until the next one!! :D

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  2. I haven't read your books yet but I put them on my list! Anything paranormal with wolves is my kind of read :) Good luck!

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    1. Thanks Erika! I hope you enjoy them. :)

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  3. I would love to read your books, I have put them on by TBR list! Good Luck in all you do!

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    1. Thanks so much, Lisa! Much appreciated. :)

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  4. What a great testimonial! I'm sold. The creative cover art and the catchy titles are compelling too. Thanks for introducing me to a new author. Looks like some great new books to read for me!

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Whoops, let's try this again with less typos. :) I'm quite a fan of the cover art too. Claudia from Phatpuppy Art did both covers. She has a pretty amazing gallery up on her website.

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  5. Great reviews, Jennifer! I love your enthusiasm for the world and characters Mr. Asher has created.

    Mr. Asher, that Jennifer gushed about your writing skills says a lot about the quality of your books. I'll be checking out this series!

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    1. Thank you! I'm very grateful for everything she had to say. Getting to talk to bloggers and readers has been one of my favorite parts of the tour. :)

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  6. Surprisingly I like some gore too. Damian sounds so cool. I like how you say he brings you into his world like you're an old friend. Your review made me think of a cross between Harry Dresdon and Kate Daniels. Can't wait to read it. Mr. Asher congrats on what sounds like two awesome books. I can't wait to dive in.

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    1. Thanks so much! I don't think I can weigh in with an unbiased opinion on any of that. ;)

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