Crossroad Reviews: Melissa Eskue Ousley

So glad that I could be on this great tour!

Check out my guest post with the author as well as my review and make sure to follow the tour!

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2013

Abby is haunted by dreams of an ivory castle, blood-thirsty monsters, and a striking stranger. Working as the babysitter for a family of mythology lovers in wealthy Newcastle Beach, she struggles to define herself among the elite class while trying to make sense of her strange visions. Upon meeting David, the doppelgänger of the mysterious young man in her dreams, Abby's life changes forever.

Encountering the queen of Cai Terenmare, Abby learns of a magical realm on the edge of anarchy. She’s told of an evil lord hell-bent on usurping the throne, the assassination of the king, and the kidnapping of the infant prince. Now, as the kingdom struggles to survive, Abby must convince her mysterious crush, David, that he is the lost heir.

While braving attacks from the dark lord's sadistic minions, Abby must help David discover his true identity. Only then may he return to claim his throne before time runs out. Should Abby and David fail, a long-imprisoned evil will escape, destroying Cai Terenmare and all of humanity.

Melissa Eskue Ousley lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and their Kelpie, Gryphon. When she’s not writing, Melissa can be found hiking, swimming, scuba diving, kayaking, or walking along the beach, poking dead things with a stick. Before she became a writer, she had a number of educational jobs, ranging from a summer spent scraping road kill off a molten desert highway, to years spent conducting research with an amazing team of educators at the University of Arizona. Her interests in psychology, culture, and mythology have influenced her writing of The Solas Beir Trilogy.
Melissa’s Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Cover- Spooky!

Story and Plot- Amazing!!

Reading Time- 1 Day Duh!

Yep this one wins for me! It kept my attention and I just couldnt put it down!

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Sign of the Throne Guest Post for Crossroad Reviews

Melissa Eskue Ousley

Sociopaths

The Well-Meaning Sociopaths is the moniker of one of Abby Brown’s favorite bands in Sign of the Throne. The name is a joke, because, by definition, a sociopath is anything but well-meaning. A sociopath is a person with a personality disorder whose behavior is antisocial and often criminal. This type of person lacks a social conscience or a sense of moral responsibility. A sociopath has a grandiose sense of self, believing that he or she is superior to others, and has no compassion for others. A person with this personality has no regard for personal boundaries and believes that the end always justifies the means. A sociopath lets nothing stand in the way of his or her goals, and does not show remorse. A sociopath does not care how his or her actions affect others. This kind of person may be oblivious to the destruction he or she causes, or may even blame the victim. A sociopath may appear to be charming, but is actually manipulative and cunning, and has no problem lying.

While some sociopaths don’t care what others think of them, a sociopath who has narcissistic traits may be particularly dangerous because he or she may react violently to criticism. Like other types of sociopaths, a narcissist has an exaggerated sense of self and may see him or herself as above normal life responsibilities or the law. However, this kind of person cannot tolerate criticism; instead they crave praise. Because they strive to present themselves in the most positive manner possible, even lying about personal achievements, a narcissistic sociopath, like other sociopaths, may appear very charming, and may use this charisma to recruit others to a cause, using followers as instruments for the completion of his or her own mission. Followers may have good intentions, but may harm others for the sake of achieving the goal or because they think they are serving the greater good.

A major theme in Sign of the Throne is the multi-faceted nature of evil. Sometimes people have bad intentions and cause harm. Sometimes people mean well, and end up hurting someone. But does it really matter to your victim what your intentions were? Maybe. Maybe not. What if you’ve made a terrible mistake and hurt someone? Can you be forgiven? Can you be redeemed? These are questions posed and explored throughout the Solas Beir Trilogy, and I’ll leave it to you, the reader, to come up with the answers. But consider yourself warned: some of the characters in this series are sociopaths. Some are narcissistic sociopaths. And some are followers who may or may not mean well. Tread carefully, for Cai Terenmare is a dangerous place.