Friends and Traitors (Slayers #2) by C.J. Hill – Blog Tour and Book Giveaway

Product Description:
Title: Friends and Traitors (Slayers #2) 
Author: C. J. Hill
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Published Date: October 15, 2013
Hardcover: 400 pages
Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy
ISBN# 978-1-250-02461-9
FTC FYI: I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

Book Summary: 

In C.J. Hill's action-packed sequel to Slayers, the group of teens known as Slayers have been betrayed—but they won’t give up without a fight.

Tori’s got a problem. She thought she’d have one more summer to train as a dragon Slayer, but time has run out. When Tori hears the horrifying sound of dragon eggs hatching, she knows the Slayers are in trouble. In less than a year, the dragons will be fully grown and completely lethal. The Slayers are well-prepared, but their group is still not complete, and Tori is determined to track down Ryker—the mysterious missing Slayer.

What Tori doesn’t bargain for, however, is the surprising truth about her powers. She isn’t just a Slayer, she’s part Dragon Lord, too. How can Tori fight to save her friends when half of her is programmed to protect dragons? And with a possible traitor in their midst, the Slayers will be divided in more ways than they ever imagined.

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Very Cool Book Trailer 

Excerpt:

Overdrake didn’t tell her it would be all right. He didn’t know if it
would be. The memory of the last labor still clung to the edges of his
mind. With a sigh, he sat beside her and took her hand in his. “If we
land at BWI, the eggs’ signals will reach all the people at the airport,
all the people sitting in planes. Some of them are bound to be descen-
dants of the Slayer knights.” Back when those knights had ruled the
Middle Ages, they’d spread their genes far and wide. Conquerors al-
ways did.

“Yes, but how many of those descendants will be pregnant?” she
asked. “There can’t be that many.”

“How many Slayers does it take to kill a dragon?” Overdrake meant
to counter her argument, but instead found the sentence comforting.
Even if the eggs’ signals did activate genes in a few unborn babies, giv-
ing them powers later on— it didn’t mean those children would be able
to grow up and kill the dragons.

Over the generations the Slayer knights’ powers splintered apart.
Descendants no longer inherited all of the abilities their ancestors had, just a few. And what could a handful of half- equipped Slayers do against
his dragons?

Bianca shifted in her seat, gripping the armrests again. Another con-
traction was coming. “We’ve got to land. We don’t have another choice
and waiting will only put our son’s life in danger.” Her eyes seared with
pain. “Who are you more concerned about— Slayer babies that might not
even exist or your own baby who needs your help right now?”

She was right. Overdrake put his hand over hers, giving her what
comfort he could. “I’ll tell the pilot to land at BWI.”

 My Review:

I was a big fan of the first book in the series. I love any story that has dragons as key characters. I liked how this book was set in a contemporary storyline. This second book in the series was a great addition. The story picked up where the first ended. You have the bad guy, Overdrake the Dragon Lord,raising dragons to cause mayhem and take over the government. Then you have a group of teenagers with superpowers. These powers are used to fight the dragons. Along with a teen love triangle, many secrets being kept, and traitors amongst friends you know that there will be a lot of action taking place.

Also with the action we get to know the characters on a deeper level. There is more depth here as relationships develop further. Female character Tori also has one of the biggest dilemma's in the book when she finds out some harsh truths behind her superpowers. I was surprised by this twist, but it made for a good story. It was also good to finally have Ryker in the story. His parents fight hard to keep him out of the mix but fail. 

Readers who will love this book:  

Anyone who loves book about dragons, teen love triangles, humor, a sky full of action and Urban Fantasy. There is violence involved (After all this is a story about fighting dragons), but nothing too graphic,no sex or terrible language. As I always recommend, read the first book in the series before this second book. You will be totally lost AND you will have missed out on reading a very good book! This author has become one of my favorite because she has always written such great characters. With this series she has mastered the great plot and action scenes. Don't miss out on Slayers #2: Friends and Traitors. I know my tween and teen at home are fighting to see who gets to read it next. 

Slayers #1 Giveaway...

I have one paperback copy of Slayers to give away to one USA reader. I'm making this very easy. All you need to do is tell me in the comment section if you like or dislike dragons and why. Please leave an e-mail address and this contest will last two weeks.

Meet Author CJ Hill:

CJ Hill is a pen name for a YA author who is best known for writing romantic comedies. (Slayers will be her 18th published book.) Her writing has shifted away from the romantic comedy genre, so her editor thought a pen name would be a good idea. (New books will include: dangerous dragons, time travel to dystopian worlds, and flesh-eating beetles.)
Since the publisher refused to let her have the pseudonym : The Artist Formerly Referred to as Princess, she chose a name to honor her mother. CJ Hill was her mother’s pen name, or at least it would have been if her mother had published. Her mother wrote a few children’s books and a middle grade novel but was taken by cancer before she had fully learned the craft.
(Most writers’ first novels aren’t publishable. CJ Junior’s first novel wasn’t, but somehow was published anyway. Now, even though it is out of print, it remains forever available on Amazon, where it taunts her with its badness. This was another good reason to use a pen name.)
CJ Hill has five children, three of whom like her on any given day depending on who is in trouble. She has lived in Arizona for the last half of her life, but is still in desert denial and hopes that one day her garden will grow silver bells and cockle shells or maybe just tomatoes.

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