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The Navigator's Touch (The Seafarer's Kiss #2) by Julia Ember
Publication Date: September 13, 2018
Publisher: Duet Books, the YA imprint of Interlude Press
After invaders destroyed her village, murdered her family, and took her prisoner, shield-maiden Ragna is hungry for revenge. A trained warrior, she is ready to fight for her home, but with only a mermaid and a crew of disloyal mercenaries to aid her, Ragna knows she needs new allies. Guided by the magical maps on her skin, battling storms and mutiny, Ragna sets sail across the Northern Sea.
She petitions the Jarl in Skjordal for aid, but despite Ragna’s rank and fighting ability, the Jarl sees only a young girl, too inexperienced to lead, unworthy of help. To prove herself to the Jarl and win her crew’s respect, Ragna undertakes a dangerous expedition. But when forced to decide between her own freedom and the fate of her crew, what will she sacrifice to save what’s left of her home?
Inspired by Norse mythology and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, this companion novel to The Seafarer’s Kiss is a tale of vengeance, valor, honor, and redemption.
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Exclusive Excerpt:
I sat beside Ersel at the bow. With a whispered spell, her tentacles receded, and she shifted into the form of a true mermaid. Her long lilac and cerulean tail dangled into the sea. She wrapped an arm around the stempost so that she could float alongside the ship.
She had three forms, given to her by Loki when she had passed their test. With an incantation spoken to the talisman she wore around her neck, she could change at will: from mermaid to human to kraken. She thought the third form monstrous – an ugly reminder of what she had endured at Loki’s hands – but I had witnessed the sheer, crushing power of her tentacles. I thought them incredible.
I leaned down and brushed a kiss across her forehead. Her skin was cold against my lips, and smelled of kelp, fish and fresh sea air. I breathed her in. That scent was woven into the memories of my coastal home. It reminded me of the rocky beach, fishermen mending their nets at the dock, and the feel of wind in my hair as I galloped my horse along the cliffs.
Her eyes scanned my face. Frost clung to her long eyelashes. With a small smile, she reached up and squeezed my knee.
One of the men scoffed behind us. I rolled my eyes. The crew thought affection for the mermaid made me soft, too sentimental to captain a ship. Never mind that they’d seen me steal this ship with their own eyes. They didn’t understand the magnitude of what I owed her. Ersel had saved me from a slow death by starvation and exposure when I had been shipwrecked on the ice shelf near her home.
As the crew looked on, I kissed Ersel’s lips.
About the Author
Julia Ember is the author of The Seafarer's Kiss and The Navigator's Touch, as well as several novellas and short stories for young adults. Originally from Chicago, Julia now resides in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her hobbies include riding horses, starting far too many craft projects, and looking after her city-based menagerie of pets with names from Harry Potter. She regularly takes part in events for queer teens. A world traveler since childhood, she has now visited more than sixty countries.
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I do like the relationship we see between Ragna and Ersel here. I need to go back to The Seafarer's Kiss and read the origins, but I like where it's going, at least in the excerpt. :) Thanks for being part of the tour.
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